Anam Cara
by Summerwoodforever
Summary: When Dean is helped out of his grave by the blonde Slayer Buffy, neither of them knew that their souls would be bound together. Now Buffy, Dean and Sam unite to stop Lilith from opening the final seal. Post BtVS, Season 4 Supernatural
1. Chapter 1

**I of course do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural.**

The air was cleaner here. Sweet and cool without the pollution of the city. _I have been in L.A. way too long, _she thought_._ She was fifty feet above the ground in the limbs of one of the giant conifers that abound in the Sioux Falls area. She was trying to get her bearings, to make sure she hadn't gotten off course during the last storm that had rolled through the forest yesterday.

She lifted her right hand to shield her eyes as she scanned the scenery. Then she saw it. A small open clearing, no bigger than a football field among miles and miles of trees. That was the place that had haunted her dreams for the last four months. It looked to be less than two miles away. With a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her face and the wind in her hair.

The peaceful moment was suddenly shattered when a blinding white light dropped from the sky and landed in the middle of the clearing. _This can't be a coincidence. _And quicker than should have been possible, Buffy Summers jumped out of the tree , landed lightly on her feet and took off running.

XXXXX

The darkness was suffocating. The weight of it pressed down on his chest, crushing him. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He fumbled in his pockets and then he found it, his trusty lighter. In the dim light he could see that he was inside a simple wooden box. A coffin.

XXXXX

Buffy made it within 10 minutes and what she found took her breath away. Every tree within a hundred yards of the clearing had been leveled, blighted and black. All her slayer instincts told her that something very powerful had just been here. She looked around, though she could sense that there was no one . Soon her eyes landed on a small wooden cross. _Hmm, that seems odd. _She thought to herself. Why had she been brought here? Was she too late? She could feel an urgency building up inside her. No, she wasn't too late. Whatever she needed to do, it still needed doing.

XXXXX

Inch by inch, he made his way upward. He didn't know if he could make it. His lungs were screaming for oxygen and his hands felt raw and bloody from the journey to the surface. Just when he could not stand it any longer, he felt his fingertips break through. Then he felt the touch of a pair of small hands grabbing his and pulling him free.

XXXXX

Buffy gave a sharp tug on the hands that had a broken through the earth. Normally only vampires,crawled out of graves, but she knew this man wasn't a vampire. His hands, though dirty and bloody, were calloused and warm. Not to mention, it was daylight. And her vamp-dar wasn't going off.

One more pull and she had him free. He was unsteady on his feet though ,and tipped forward, taking her by surprise. They both went down on the grass. Buffy held on to him and took the brunt force of the fall with her own body.

"Where am I? " His voice was deep and raspy, straining on even those few words. "And who the hell are you?"

"You're in South Dakota," Buffy said as they untangled themselves. She watched him closely as he sat up and looked around at the destruction around them. He looked human enough. But she still didn't know why she had been compelled to come here. Was she supposed to help this man or kill him?

"Here, take some water. My name is Buffy."

Dean looked around at the too-bright world. Everything was too harsh, too loud, too real. He looked at the woman who had helped pull him out of the grave. His grave. She had saved him. He didn't know if he would have had the strength to make that last push if she hadn't pulled him out. She didn't look like much. Short and skinny, with blond hair and green eyes, she didn't look dangerous. But he knew demons could take any human's body, even a small child He could hear her say something but the words just jumbled together.

"What was that?"

"Water, drink some." This time he could make out the bottle she was offering him. He took it and drank it. God, he was thirsty. Then he felt her small hands again tugging on his arms as she told him they need to leave.

"I didn't get you name," Dean said as he stood up, dirt falling around him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Every tree in a hundred-yard diameter had been felled. Each one charred and blackened. What had happened here? He needed to get to Bobby.

"Buffy," The cute blonde said. It wasn't a name he had expected; it was such a stupid name he almost laughed.

"Look, _Buffy_. Thanks for helping me out here. But I gotta go."

Buffy looked at the young man. She could tell that he was trying to ditch her as fast as possible. But she needed answers first.

"Not so fast." Buffy put a hand out to stop him. She had a gut feeling that she had been brought here for a reason and she was damn sure going to find out what that reason was. "You just crawled out of a grave and the entire area surrounding that grave looks like a mini nuke went off. So tell me, do you really think I'm just going to let you leave here without getting a little more information about why I dreamed of this place for four months."

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "Look sweetheart, if you think a little girl like you is going to stop me, you've bleached that head of yours one too many times." He had expected feminine protest. What he had not expected was to find himself flat on his back with a perky little blonde looking smugly down at him. _How the Hell did she do that?_

"You were saying?"

Dean fumbled for words, wondering how the fuck a hundred-pound nothing had thrown him down as easily as tossing daisies. Then it all clicked together.

"You're a demon!"

Buffy just stared at the man. "Seriously!" She said. "You're the one who climbs out of grave, _in daylight, _and you're calling me a demon?! I should stake you right now and send you back to whatever hell you came from."

"You're the freaking She-Hulk! Only a demon has strength like that. Why the fuck would a demon raise me from Hell!"

Buffy and Dean eyed each other suspiciously, neither one willing to make a move just yet.

"Are you a Hunter?" Buffy asked. She knew they existed. She had even made friends with a few of them. But no Hunter she knew would be able to work the kind of mojo needed to raise someone from the dead. Not alive and whole and human. "You know what silver will do to a zombie?"

The man nodded, his gold-green eyes never leaving hers. Carefully Buffy reached into her pack and withdrew a small dagger. She held out her hand for him to see and quickly slashed the flesh on her arm with the razor-sharp edge. They both watched the crimson blood well up and flow down her skin. Buffy arched a brow and then gently threw the knife to the man, who deftly caught it by the handle.

Dean was skeptical of the girl, even if she had passed the silver test. But she was waiting on him ,so he took a deep breath and drew the silver blade across his own arm to show her that he, too,was human. He looked smugly at her before tossing the knife back to her. _One last test._

"Christo" They both said in unison. "Huh."

Buffy was about to start asking questions again when suddenly the man dropped to the floor, hands over his ears as he writhed in pain. Buffy leaped up to check on him when a voice, more terrifying than any other she had ever heard, called out across the meadow.

_Dean. Dean Winchester._

"Get up! Dean, we gotta get out of here! Something is coming," Buffy screamed as she stashed the knife back into the pack and grabbed the man she assumed was the Dean Winchester She hauled him to his feet and set off running towards nearest town. Whatever had caused the panic seconds before seemed to have stopped. The man, Dean, was running alongside Buffy, keeping pace with her. She pointed to the right of their current path to lead him in the direction of town. After five minutes of running they were able to stop and catch their breath.

"What the Hell was that?" Dean panted. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. He could still feel the adrenalin pumping through his veins. He hadn't felt that alive in a long time. He turned his head to look at the woman by his side. She was barely winded, much less than him. _May need to up the cardio there, _Dean thought to himself. He looked around and took in their surroundings. They had made it to the edge of some little rinky-dink town. Every building was old and rundown and not a single person could be seen.

"I don't know, but I think they were after you. Your name Dean Winchester?" Buffy said as they started walking toward a small convenience store. She needed to get to a phone. Her battery had gone dead in her cell phone and it had been several days since she had last checked in with her friends.

"Yeah, sugar, it is. Why do you want to know?" Dean asked, keeping the suspicion out of his voice as he looked her over. He didn't know who or what she was, but for some reason he had started to trust her, at least enough to not kill her right away. The reality of where he was had started to sink into his consciousness. He was really back.

"Damn, no pay phone." Buffy said as she peered into the store. She turned back to Dean. "Whatever that was back there, it was calling you."

"You heard it say my name?"

"Yeah, didn't you?" Buffy replied, confusion and concern wrinkling her brow. Why would she hear his name but not him? That made no kind of sense at all. All in all, this was one of the stranger days she had had in a really long time.

"No, all I heard was some super sonic screeching shit." Dean could see that no one was in there store and when he looked around, could see that they were alone on the street as well. So, he pushed the doors open and headed right in. God he was thirsty. Thirsty like he had never been. Even though he had shared some of Buffy's water, his mouth still felt like a desert. He grabbed some bottles of water and started guzzling as fast as he could. He could see Buffy out of the corner of his eye as she looked around for a phone. He didn't know why she was still here, or why he let her, but he wasn't quite ready to see her leave, yet.

"Damn, phone is disconnected," Buffy muttered under her breath. This was not good, not good at all. She didn't know what the hell was after them, but instincts told her that whatever it was, it would come again. She needed to get Dean out of here and to somewhere safe. The safest place she could think of was in Sioux Falls. She grabbed a map and tried to find the quickest route. Looked like Sioux Falls was 45 miles away. Too far to walk since they were in a hurry. That meant getting a ride.

Dean had finished off 3 bottles of water and was looking around when he saw the title _Busty Asian Beauties. _"Oh yeah!" But before he could his hands on it, a small dainty pair was pulling him back outside the store.

"What you do that for?!" Dean demanded.

"Do what? We need to go. We don't know how safe it is here," Buffy replied as she walked down the sidewalk. They needed a car, and she knew the only way was to steal one. She really hated doing that, but she didn't have enough money for a cab ride and didn't have time to wait. She stopped in front a little, blue sedan. It had a for sale sign on the dashboard. Listening to her instincts, she tried the handle and breathed a sigh of relief when it popped open. Now, if she was just lucky enough to find some keys.

"This your car?" Dean asked as he went to the passenger side. This car didn't look like something she would drive. It was probably older than she was. But it did look clean. He sat down and waited for her to start it up. But she was too busy going through the glove box to answer him. Then it dawned on him. It wasn't her car.

"Here, move over." Dean gently pushed her over as he knelt down and pulled some wires from the steering wheel. Buffy just arched a brow and slid over to the passenger seat. Within a minute Dean had the car running and they headed toward the highway. They rode in silence broken only by Buffy directing Dean on which way to go.

"Um, Buffy. I want to thank you," Dean said awkwardly. Damn, he wasn't good with this kind of crap. "You really saved my ass back there." He stared straight ahead as he talked, not looking at the woman who sat next to him, a small smile on her lips.

"Don't worry about it," Buffy replied. It had surprised her that he thanked her, she had taken him for one of those macho-manly types who couldn't express any kind of emotional evolution above caveman.

They remained in silence until they got to the Sioux Falls city limits. Dean pulled over and turned to Buffy, who arched her perfect brows at him.

"Um, this is my stop. I have a friend close by, I can walk from here." Dean looked at her awkwardly, not quite sure how to ditch her. If he didn't have to find Bobby and Sam, he might have tried to get some back from the dead sex. She was a hot little number for sure. _Dammit Dean, get your mind on what matters!_

Buffy just looked at him, her expression unreadable. Then she broke out with a fit of laughter so contagious it even brought a goofy grin to his face.

"Come on, we can go see Bobby together. He's been expecting me for a couple of days."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

They rode in silence for most of the trip to Bobby Singer's house. Dean drank deeply from one of the bottles of water he had taken from the store, looking at the girl next to him. Buffy looked out the window at the scenery as he drove. He didn't know what the hell to make of her. But he couldn't deny that it was kind of a comfort to have her there. She had a certain peace and tranquility about her that Dean needed to keep the memories of Hell pushed back as far as he could. He really hoped this Buffy chick wasn't evil.

They reached Sioux Falls by that afternoon. Dean had been debating about just showing up at Bobby's or calling Sam first. He had hoped that Sammy would be with older hunter, even if it was just wishful thinking. He made up his mind and quickly pulled over to the first pay phone he could find. He had swiped a handful of quarters from the convenience store and shoved those into the slot and dialed Sam's number.

"We're sorry. The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer is use."

Buffy watched from the small car as Dean slammed the receiver down. She wondered who he was calling. The look on his face was heartbreakingly sad for one moment before he steeled himself and made another call.

Dean prayed that Sam's phone not working wasn't a sign that something had happened to him. He couldn't live with himself if after everything he had done, Sam had still died. He pushed those thoughts away and called Bobby. Relief flooded through him when he heard the older Hunters gruff voice.

"Yeah."

"Bobby, it's me."

"Who's me?" Dean couldn't believe that Bobby didn't recognize his voice.

"Dean." The line went dead. That old bastard had hung up on him! Dean fished some more quarters from his pocket and dialed again.

"Who is this?" Bobby barked into the phone again.

"Bobby listen to me!" Dean was desperate. He had expected Bobby to just know that it was him.

"This ain't funny. Call me again and I'll kill you." Once again the phone line went dead. Dean hung up and looked back to the car where Buffy was waiting. He let a large sigh escape before he left the phone booth and walked back to the sedan.

Buffy didn't say anything, just gave him a sympathetic look before turning and looking out the window again. She knew how hard it was to adjust to living after being brought back from the grave. She hadn't wanted to talk about it either seven years ago when the same thing had happened to her. And Dean didn't look like the "share your feelings" kind of guy anyway. So she stared out the window and tried to make sense of what was happening.

Four months ago, Buffy had started to dream about this man. At first she had thought they were Slayer dreams, but after calling Faith and a few other Slayers still fighting, she found out that she was the only one having them. So night after night, she would have the same dreams and wake up with the urgent notion that she had to be somewhere. She had started to piece together the clues in the dream and from there drove all the way from L.A. to South Dakota. It had taken another three weeks before she narrowed down the search to a small forest outside Sioux Falls. Something had led her to this man, she just didn't know why. And that was the most troubling fact of all.

XXXXX

Dean parked the sedan and sat looking at the sign that said _Singer Salvage_. The engine cut off and the driver door opened and soon enough Dean found himself standing alone on the old porch to Bobby's house.

Buffy had stayed in the car, thankfully giving him some privacy to reunite with the man who was like a father to him. He turned back to look at her just one more time and could see her smile and nod her head in encouragement. Pain went through his sore and bloody knuckles as he knocked on the old wooden door. Suddenly the door flew open and there stood Bobby, a look of shock and disbelief on his face.

"Surprise," Dean said, his voice still raw and gravelly. Until now he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that this wasn't some kind of new hell. But seeing Bobby standing there, looking as dumbfounded as Dean felt, he knew that this was real.

"I don't…" Were the only words the older man said while looking at the younger man, who just shrugged his shoulders and started a few steps into the house.

"Yeah, me neither. But here I am"

The next instant Bobby was swinging at Dean's head, lashing out with a silver knife. Dean dodged the blade, grabbing the arm holding the knife and twisting it behind Bobby's back. The older man turned his body and brought his other fist up, hitting Dean square in the face.

"Bobby! Bobby, it's me!" Dean spat out the words and the blood that pooled in his mouth from the punch. _Damn, that sonofabitch punches harder than I thought._

"My ass!" Bobby said as he walked toward him. Dean knew he needed to get a little space between the two of them. He didn't want to hurt Bobby, even if it was self-defense. Moving behind the desk chair, Dean held his hand out and started trying to convince the older hunter that he was himself.

"Wait! Wait! Your name is Robert Steven Singer, you became a hunter after your wife got possessed and you are about the closest thing I have to a father," Dean pleaded. "It's me. It's me!"

XXXXX

Buffy cracked open the door to the sedan and let a little fresh air into the car as she waited on Dean and Bobby. Knowing Bobby, he was going to take some convincing. Hunters had to be the most suspicious and paranoid people she had ever met and Mr. Singer there was at the top of the list. She turned her head when she heard them start to scuffle. _They're both big boys. They can take care of themselves, _she told herself. Then came the sound of furniture breaking from inside and Buffy just sighed and started walking toward the old farmhouse.

Tiptoeing through the entryway, the slayer silently made her way to the den, just in time to see Bobby try to take a swipe at Dean with a silver knife.

"I'm not a shape shifter!" Dean shouted. He saw Buffy out of the corner of his eye as she positioned herself behind Bobby, looking like she was going to disarm him. _Shit, now I have to watch little miss Malibu Barbie's ass too. Why the fuck couldn't she stay in the car?_

"Then you're a revenant!" The hunter growled and lunged toward Dean again. But he only made it two steps before Buffy grabbed him from behind and kept him in place as she tried to calm him and keep him from going after Dean.

"Bobby! Listen to me," Buffy said to the older man still struggling in her grasp. "You gotta calm down and listen to what he says."

Dean watched as the little blonde bombshell, who couldn't have been more than a hundred pounds, held back a man who easily weighed twice what she did and didn't even seem to struggle while doing it. She grabbed the knife and tossed it again to Dean. Never taking his eyes from Bobby's, Dean slid the blade across his bicep for the second time that day.

"Dean?" Bobby stopped struggling and Buffy let go and stepped to the side, her eyes going back and forth between the two men as they embraced. She had never seen Bobby so choked up as he was now. Whoever this Dean Winchester was, he obviously meant a lot to the hunter.

_SPLASH_

"I'm not demon, either." Dean ground out the words while wiping the Holy water from his face. Buffy couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her mouth. That resulted in a mouth full of Holy water when Bobby doused her.

"Damn it, Bobby!" The blonde sputtered, she really hated when that happened. She caught Dean's eye and saw the smirk before she just rolled her eyes and went to get a paper towel from the kitchen.

"Anybody want a beer?" Buffy called out to the two men. Both accepted and she grabbed three bottles and shut the fridge. Tossing one to each man, Buffy hopped up on the counter and opened her beer. Dean watched her make herself at home in Bobby's house and had to wonder how well the old Hunter knew the blonde.

"So, anybody want to fill me in on what's the sitch? Because pulling guys out of graves isn't normal, even for me," Buffy looked directly at Dean when she said this. She had a feeling that Bobby wasn't involved in any of the mojo needed to pull someone back top side. "'Cause I can't save your ass if I don't know what is going on."

Dean was taken aback by this direct approach. He was still trying to figure out how the hell he was even alive himself. But as hot as this Buffy chick was, he was not about to let her get all sucked up in Winchester business.

"Look, sweetheart. As sexy as it is to see you try to take charge like this, and God knows I love a woman in charge. This is none of your business. So butt that tight ass of yours right out." He took a long drag of his beer and watched the anger build in the depth of her olive green eyes. He's been rude and he knew it, but damn if he was going to let Malibu Barbie get messed up in the shit that was his life.

"Dean," Bobby growled out, his voice carrying a warning with it. "If Buffy here is offering her help, I think you otta shut up and listen to the girl."

"Thanks, Bobby." Buffy flashed the older man a bright smile and set her eyes back on the man before her. "Ok, I get that you don't know me or anything about me. And I know how paranoidy all you Hunters are. Hell, Bobby here didn't start trusting even after I saved him from that Gumbo demon. That was one tricky bitch, too."

"Gumbo Demon?" Dean scoffed. "Now I know you're crazy. There is no such thing as a Gumbo Demon."

Bobby leveled a stern gaze at Dean, who just laughed and sipped more of his beer. _Gumbo Demon? That is the funniest damn thing I have heard in a long time._

"Stop being an ass, Dean. Buffy meant to say a Jurogumo Demon. And, she is the best damn hunter there is. If she is here, it's because shit is about to hit the fan and you better not piss her off," Bobby warned. Dean turned and stared at him and the girl. Jurogumos were badass demons. Huge spiders with the ability to shift into the form of a beautiful woman. They would trap and kill men for their own meal or that of their children, feeding when they hatched. No way in Hell little did Miss Buffy take one down. He let his disbelief show on his face.

"Yeah right. You expect me to believe Barbie here is the best hunter you know?"

"Actually, I'm not a hunter," Buffy said as she hopped off the counter and walked toward Dean. He could see anger in the green depths of her eyes. But it wasn't the anger that shocked him to his core. It was the power, raw and primal. She leaned forward so that their faces were only inches apart, her breath warm and sweet. "I'm the Slayer and I could break every bone in your body before you even lay a hand on me. I've been doing this since I was 15. So, why don't we get down to business, huh? Find out who the Big Bad is, how to kill it and get with our lives."

Usually Buffy didn't like to throw out the Slayer word to just anyone, especially to hunters who seemed to get intimidated by her and somehow think that just 'cause she was stronger, it made their penises smaller or something. But she could tell this man was close, very close to Bobby, and she trusted Bobby completely. Getting it out of the way would just make things easier now. She could tell that Winchester was already starting to question who she was. She was going to go with her gut, and her gut said even if this guy was an ass, she could trust him with her secret.

"Bullshit," Dean spat out as she stalked away, crossing her arms across her chest and leaned casually against the counter. He looked her up and down, his best smirk on his face just to piss her off. "Slayers don't exist. They are just something a bunch of horny nerds made up to fuel their wet dream fantasies."

"Eww! That is so gross, perv!" Buffy said, disgust making her face scrunch up. Before she could say anything else, though, Bobby was hauling Dean up and leading him away to the dining room. Shooting daggers with her eyes, Buffy stayed in the kitchen and gave them a little privacy.

"Boy, you better get your head out of your ass quick! Slayers do exist, get over it and move on. Do you really think I would let her stay here if I didn't trust her? Now get back in there and shut the hell up till we know what the fuck brought Buffy here, because whatever it is, you can bet that it's deep shit." Bobby's tone told Dean that there would be no arguing with him. Not one to back down, though, Dean looked him straight in the eye and asked the question that had been plaguing him since he crawled out of his grave.

"I just gotta ask before we go back in there. Sam. Is he?"

"Oh, he's alive, as far as I know," Bobby replied, looking absently at some papers on his desk.

"Good. Good," Dean said, relief spilling through his entire body as the tension he didn't even know he had, left. "Wait. What do you mean, as far as you know?"

"I mean, it's been hard Dean. He left a few weeks ago and I haven't heard from him since."

"But he's alive?" He just had to know. Had to know that the sacrifice he made had been worth it. He could live with what he had done as long as Sammy was alive and ok.

"Yeah, he's alive, idjit," Bobby said affectionately. "Now let's go see what kind of trouble brought the Slayer on your ass. Then we will deal with your idjut brother, all right?"

XXXXX

Buffy, of course, had heard the conversation between the two men in the other room, thanks to her Slayer-enhanced hearing. She had heard the pain and anguish in Dean's voice when he has asked about someone named Sam. She was pretty sure the handsome hunter wasn't gay, that ruled out a lover. Brother, perhaps? Buffy could understand the love between siblings. She would do anything to ensure her own sister Dawn's safety. And had on more than one occasion. Her gut told her that Dean was the same and she respected that.

The two men returned to the room. Dean's eyes met Buffy's and held them as he walked back to the chair he had previously occupied. The Slayer arched her brow before rolling her eyes at him and breaking eye contact. She knew enough about hunters to know that even under the best of circumstances, they were a paranoid lot. She wouldn't be able to get any answers to her question without answering theirs first.

"All right guys, here's the sitch," Buffy said, taking charge of the room. "I don't know what is going on, but something is going down and it's big. Apocalypse big, big. And I'm here to stop it." Her eyes looked to Bobby's, to make sure that he understood that she wasn't going to be left out of this. This was what she did, what she had been born to do and eventually what she would die doing. If Mr. Macho Dean couldn't handle a girl in charge, he'd get over it soon enough when she kicked his ass.

"About 4 months ago, I started having these dreams. I thought they were typical end-of-the-world-is-about-to-happen Slayer dreams, but I'm not sure about that. Usually all the called Slayers have the dreams, but I've been the only one having them." Buffy moved her eyes back to Dean and she noticed that he had lost the macho bull crap and looked at her with only curiosity. "They all start out the same. I think I'm in some Hell dimension. I hear people screaming and there is so much pain and blood. It's everywhere." Buffy shuddered and quickly kept talking. The feelings she had experienced while having those dreams had shaken her to her core. So much pain, anger and guilt would flood her mind that it had physically hurt to think about it.

"Then suddenly I hear birds, at least I think it's a bunch of birds because all I hear is the sounds of their wings. I wake up and I'm in a coffin. I thought I was having flashbacks to… something else, but I think I was dreaming about you, Dean." The last sentence was spoken softly, emotion making her throat tight. Dean studied her, tried to see if he could see any deception in her eyes, but all he saw was sadness and pity. He quickly looked away, not wanting to see such things from her, of all people. "When I would wake up, the feeling that I needed to find you was so strong, that there were a few times I would already be in my car driving before I was completely awake. It was almost like I had a compulsion on me to get to you. It became a sort of obsession of mine. I knew that if I didn't find you, something terrible would happen, even though I didn't know what it was."

Buffy was still looking at Dean as she talked. She had decided that if she was going to tell them her dreams, she was going to tell all of it to them, even if it made things embarrassing and awkward. "I had all these flashes of different of places. I saw cities and highways, then bits of the country and finally I would always find myself in a clearing in a forest. I had no idea why I kept seeing all these places, but I think they were all clues on how to find you. It took me a couple of months, but I finally figured out that you were by Sioux Falls when I saw a couple of the landmarks I remembered from the last time I came to see Bobby." Buffy looked at Bobby and gave him a small smile. Ever since Giles had been killed, she held a soft spot in her heart for the gruff older Hunter.

"The dreams suddenly started changing about a month ago. There were all these weird X-files type of things going on, like one where a snake was born that had a head at each end and was being worshipped by hoodie guys. That was totally creepy and disturbing. But some of them were more my usual type of visions. Murder, evil witches and the like. At the end of every one, there would be this sound of shattering glass. I don't know what all these things mean, but I do know that I have to stop them. I think we have to stop them." Dean looked up at her sharply but didn't say anything. She had hopped off the counter and was pacing about the small, cluttered kitchen, clearly a little embarrassed to be saying such things to a stranger. "You were there and so was this other guy. He was tall, way tall. With dark hair and in desperate need of a haircut."

"Sam." Dean had said the name in a whisper to himself but Buffy had heard it. He shared a look with Bobby and then turned his head and nodded to her to continue. She held her tongue about asking who Sam was and continued with her dream.

" The dreams end the same, every time, although the place and one of the people changes. The other guy, the dark-haired one, it's him and another person. Sometimes a little girl, sometimes it's woman. One time it was even an old man. But each one was in some kind of church and somehow, I don't know how, he kills them. And each time the two of us are too late to stop it and everything ends in fire."

"That's it?" Dean asked. He has expected some kind of prophecy, omens. Something more than just what she said. There was no way to know what they were facing. She was supposed to be the Slayer, shouldn't she have had better dreams than that?

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were your dreams more informative?" Buffy spat. What the hell more did this dude want from her? Was she just supposed to have answers. "I guess not, since you've been dead, huh."

Dean was about to start arguing with the blonde Slayer when she stopped pacing and poked a pointy finger to his chest, demanding to have her questions answered.

"So who are you guys? What the hell does all this have to do with me? And who is Gigantor? I know you know who he is." Each question was marked with a stab of her bony finger into his chest with enough force that Dean thought she might break his bone.

"Stop poking me and I'll tell you!" Dean yelled as he rubbed his chest. The two of them glared at each other for a minute before they both sat back down. Bobby looked back and forth between slayer and hunter and couldn't help but see the fire between the two of them. _So it was going to be like that, huh? They could do worse._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Buffy was stuffed. The steaks and potatoes Bobby had made for dinner made her realize that it was over five days since she had had a real meal. And she had relished every bite. The look on Dean's face said she wasn't the only one. She didn't know anyone could look that happy for a rib eye.

The three of them had been in the kitchen all evening, trying to get any kind of idea on what was going on. Dean had told her about his family, the Yellow Eyed Demon, and the Deal. She had to admit that she had a lot of respect for him, even if he could be an ass. But it was hard to be mad at someone who had sold his soul so his brother could live.

They didn't know who or what had brought Dean back. There weren't many witches powerful enough to do the resurrection spell, even if there was another Urn of Osiris to be found. It seemed very unlikely that a demon would pull Dean out of Hell because of the contract. And ever since Buffy had destroyed the Seed of Wonder, the Powers That Be were forever cut off from this dimension.

"It don't make a lick of sense," Bobby grumbled again. The three of them had been going round and round over who could have broken the terms of the contract and brought Dean back.

"Yeah, you're preaching to the choir here, man," Dean said as he rubbed his eyes. He looked over at Buffy, who was leafing absentmindedly through some of the books Bobby had, trying to find answers. He was surprised that he liked the fact that she was willing to help him when he had really given her no reason to.

"Dean, your chest was ribbons and your insides were slop. And you'd been buried for four months! Even if you could slip out of Hell and back into your meat suit…"

"I know," Dean interrupted. "I should look like a Thriller video reject."

"I woke up pretty when I died and was brought back." The two sets of male eyes turned to Buffy, who shrugged.

"You mean, you've died and were brought back?" Dean asked, ignoring the emotions that came when he thought of her dying. What the hell was wrong with him? Was everyone this emotional when they came back to life?

"Yeah, umm, about seven years ago," Buffy said before looking back to her book, embarrassment making her blush slightly. She hadn't really wanted to dwell on that topic but she was proof that it could be done. At least Dean was handling life better than she had, post-grave.

"How did you..." Dean was looking intently at her. There was more to this woman than just good looks.

"My friend Willow," Was all Buffy said, in a tone that made it clear she did not want to talk about it. She knew how most hunters felt about witches and didn't think Dean would be any exception to that rule.

Dean thought about what Buffy had said and it suddenly hit him.

"Dammit Sammy!" Dean paced back and forth across the kitchen. He should have known. It's what he would have done in his brother's place.

"What are you talking about, Dean? What does Sam have to do with this?" Bobby said.

"Bobby, why did you bury me? Why not salt and burn me like you should have?"

"I wanted to, Dean, but Sam wouldn't have it." The older hunter had wanted to forget that night, seeing so much pain and anguish in the younger brother. The rift between the two of them had started that night.

"Well, I'm glad he won that one." Dean tried to add a little humor into situation. He didn't like where his mind was going, because where it led was a dark path that ended with a promise made to his father.

"He said you would need a body when he got you back home somehow, " Bobby said, thinking back months ago. How quiet and secretive Sam was before he took off.

"Oh, he got me home all right. But whatever he did, it is bad mojo."

"What makes you say that?" Bobby asked. He wouldn't put it past any of the Winchesters to do something foolish for their family. Bunch of idjuts, the whole lot of them.

"You should have seen the gravesite. It was like a nuke went off there," Dean said as he sat back down in his chair.

"And there was a presence, this force. It was there after I pulled Dean out," Buffy said. "I could feel it. It's powerful. And it knew Dean's name."

"You think some demon hitched a ride when I was yanked out?" Dean asked her. Buffy nodded. That was what had happened when Willow resurrected her. She told the same to the two hunters.

"But how?" Bobby asked.

"I think Sam made a deal with a demon and that _thing_ must have been a part of it. It makes sense and hell, it's what I would have done."

The next step, it had been decided, was to find out where Sam Winchester was. Dean was calling the cell phone company to Sam's other number, trying to get them to turn on the GPS so they could track him down.

Standing and stretching, Buffy walked over to Bobby, making sure to keep her voice low while Dean was on the phone.

"Bobby, do you have any extra sweats I could borrow?" Buffy whispered. "All my clothes got wet in that downpour yesterday and I am seven kinds of grody."

"I'll get you something of Karen's." Buffy knew that Karen had been Bobby's wife and she had been dead for several years. It felt a little weird to be wearing a dead woman's clothes but there wasn't much of a choice; she was in desperate need of a shower and a change.

"Thanks Bobby." She gave his arm a squeeze to show her appreciation . Dean was still on the phone with the cell phone company, trying to get the GPS location of Sam's phone.

"Yes, thank you very much, Amy. You've been a big help." Dean hung up the phone and turned back to the computer. By the time Bobby came back down they knew that Same was in Pontiac, Illinois

A shower was just what Buffy had needed. If she was going to face a Big Bad, let it be after a hot, steamy shower! She massaged the shampoo into her scalp for the second time. Bobby had surprised her with some of her own shampoo and conditioner she had left here from her last visit. The fresh scent of grapefruit helped her feel refreshed, once she finished washing away four days worth of grime. Steam filled the bathroom as she dried herself off and slipped into the simple white sundress Bobby had provided. She found that she rather liked it and was surprised at how well it fit. Once again all girly, Buffy left the bathroom and checked on her laundry that was in the wash. Buffy took out her fully charged cell and made a few calls. The first one was to her sister Dawn. They chatted for a few minutes as Buffy told her that a friend of Bobby's needed her help and she wasn't sure when she would back to L.A. Dawn, being Dawn, tried to extract every morsel of detail about what going on and only stopped hounding her sister when Buffy just hung up on her when Dawn asked if her dream man was hunky. The next call was to Faith. There, all Buffy had to do was leave a message letting her know that she still lived and it wasn't Apocalypse Now status yet.

Calls made, Buffy tried on the sandals Bobby had given her to wear but found they were just too small. Damn, she was going to have to wear hiking boots with a sun dress. This had to be the biggest fashion sin she had committed since that time she tried to pull off the sailor look when they had all gone to San Diego. Shuddering with the memory, she made her way back to the bathroom, where she had left her boots, and pushed open the slightly ajar door.

What Buffy hadn't expected to find was a half naked, shirtless Dean hunched over the bathroom sink. He had a tight grip on the white porcelain and his face was ashen. He turned his eyes to hers and for moment the two of them didn't move. Dean broke the contact, heaving himself onto the counter, and turned to the Slayer.

"Ever hear of knocking?" He said gruffly. He was still reeling from the sudden flashback of his time in Hell, he didn't need her here too. He damn sure didn't need her pity.

Whatever apology had been on her tongue stuck there once she caught sight of his chest as he turned to face her, hand resting on the door. Damn, that had to be the best looking chest she had seen in a long time. Smooth, tanned skin over six pack abs. It didn't any more drool-worthy than that!

_Get it together, Summers!_

Before she could excuse her intrusion, her eyes drifted to his shoulder and widened even more at what she saw there. A blistered handprint marred the skin on his left shoulder. Instantly, Buffy knew that this was a supernatural injury. Whatever had pulled Dean from Hell had left it's mark.

Dean had been surprised when Buffy had barged into the bathroom dressed in a simple white sundress that showed off her tanned shoulders and legs. He had been getting ready to take a shower himself when he saw the huge blister on his shoulder for the first time. He didn't know what the hell to make of the handprint blistered into his skin. Was that from what had dragged him out of Hell? Or was it from something piggy-backing on his ticket out? Not hat either thought made him feel any better. Then he was gripped with the sudden memory of his time in Hell. He could feel his flesh ripping away from his bones as he lay on the rack. Then, just as fast as it came, it was gone. That's when she had found him. Little Miss Sunshine, with her golden hair and citrus scent, looking more like Heaven than anything he had ever seen.

Buffy felt her feet move and before she knew it, she was standing next to him in the small bathroom. She knew something was bothering the hunter. She could see it in his haunted eyes, she had seen that look before in the face of a man she had loved. Gently, her hand raised until her fingertips were just a hair's breadth away from the blistered mark. But before she could touch him, he grabbed her hand and held it in a crushing grip.

"Don't." The words were spoken harshly and desperately. He didn't know why she was intruding into his life but he couldn't take her being nice to him. He just didn't deserve it, not after what he'd done.

The second his hand engulfed hers, Buffy had felt a jolt that coursed through her entire body. She didn't know what was going on with this man, she didn't even particularly like him most of the short time she had been around him. But there was no denying that she was attracted to him. Very attracted.

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" Bobby's voice called out from the bathroom doorway, breaking the two of them apart.

Buffy shot a look at Dean before she pulled her hand from his grasp and grabbed her boots that were next to the vanity. "I just had to get my boots," She said, before she quit the room.

Dean watched her go before he turned his gaze to Bobby. The older man was staring at the mark on his shoulder, questions burning in his eyes.

"Bobby, man, I know you got questions, but I don't have any answers for you," Dean said. "Now, can I please be allowed to shower alone? Or at least send Blondie back, will ya. She's a little more my type."

Bobby leveled him a stern look before he also left. Dean gave a sigh of relief before he finished undressing and stepped into the shower.

Half an hour later, Bobby, Dean and Buffy stood next to a late seventies single cab pickup truck, loading their bags into the bed. Dean opened the door and gestured for Buffy to crawl in first. The Slayer was more than a little apprehensive about a four-hour ride sitting between the two Hunters. There wasn't much room for three adults to sit without touching, even as small as she was, and everyone knew it. Bobby, for his part, just ignored the awkwardness between them and climbed in and started the engine.

"What happened to the Nova?" Dean asked, after closing his door and shifting his body around so that Buffy could have a little more room working her legs around the stick shift on the floor. In the end, she settled for placing both legs to the right of the shifter and gave Dean an apologetic look as her knees touched his. This was going to be a long ride.

"Blew the heads on her trying to catch some scum demons who had kidnapped a family. Happened a few weeks ago. I haven't had time to go in and replace them." This was followed by half an hour of shop talk between the two men. Buffy spent her time sending a few texts, letting her friends know where she was heading. There was no use for her in the conversation, and so she let her mind drift toward more pleasant things, like new shoes.

Buffy felt her eyelids grow heavy as Bobby's truck hummed down the interstate. They had only been on the road for a little over an hour but the effects of a full stomach and lack of sleep from previous days were catching up to her. Soon she was sleeping peacefully, surprisingly warmed when Dean put his plaid shirt over her.

Dean looked down at Buffy as she slept. He had covered her with his flannel shirt when he noticed that she was freezing in that little sun dress she was wearing. Shortly after that, her head had dropped to his shoulder and soon she was breathing deeply and evenly. His mind fought with his emotions on what he should do about her. He wanted to draw her close and bury his face into the silky hair that smelled like sunshine. He wanted to take comfort in the warmth he felt with her body next to his, to find out if her lips were as soft as they looked. But he couldn't, shouldn't, do any of that. It didn't matter if she really was the Slayer. He was a damned monster and the sooner she realized that, the better. Yes, that was what he told himself, even as he shifted slightly and placed his left arm around her, to draw her closer as she snuggled into his side. He would be a dick and send her on her way, later.

"Hey Bobby?"

"Yeah Dean," The older hunter replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

"What are we going to do with Sleeping Beauty here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this isn't her problem. Why the hell get her involved in the fucked up lives of the Winchesters, huh?"

"You really think we are going to be able to stop her? She's the freaking Slayer, Dean. This is what she does. Don't let the blond hair fool you. That girl has stopped more apocalypses than anyone," Bobby said. Dean opened his mouth to argue but Bobby kept talking. "She didn't save me from a Jurogumo Demon."

"I knew it!" Dean exclaimed. No way the pint-sized Barbie next to him could take out a monster like that.

"She saved me from a whole goddamn nest of them, Dean. I was in Japan a couple of years ago, visiting a friend, and I heard some rumors about a bunch of men going missing in this small village in the Kurama mountains. I tracked it down to a cave there and went in to torch the bitch." He paused as he rubbed his hand over face and looked down at the little blonde that had saved his ass then. "There were five of them, sisters I think. And there had to be hundreds of egg sacks in there. I really thought that that was it for me, you know. One of the bitches got me from behind, bit me and paralyzed me with her venom. I knew it was the end of the line. Then Buffy was there and I ain't ever seen anything like it, Dean. It was brutal and a few times I thought she was done for, but she did it somhow ith nothing but guts and a red axe. I'm telling you, boy, you don't turn down help from the Slayer."

Dean and Bobby were quiet after that conversation, each lost in their own thoughts. By the time they crossed into the city limits of Pontiac, it was almost three o'clock in the morning. Buffy had woken earlier, surprised to find herself cuddled up next to Dean. He had seen the slight blush that crept to her cheeks when she handed him back his flannel. He had just taken the offered shirt with no comment and went back to staring out the window. He was too occupied with thought about what Sammy may had done to get his ass out of Hell to say much of anything to anyone.

Bobby killed the engine and the three of them slid out and began walking to the old hotel across the street. Buffy had been able to get the clerk to tell her which room Sam was in. Dean had watched her as she flirted with overweight loser behind the desk. His eyes had narrowed as she leaned forward to give a better view of her breast. That must have been some view because the next moment she was skipping out, grinning at the two men.

"Room 207."


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so sorry for the long delay in updating. Thank you to the people who have left reviews. Those warm the heart ****J** **I will try to update more often, though I am not a naturally fast writer so I doubt I'll ever be the once a week updater. If anyone would like to be my beta, please message me!**

The Astoria Hotel had seen better days. Better years, in fact. What once had been a posh, elegant establishment was now a cheap and shabby building in the bad part of town. Pink hearts with the room number were on every door and Buffy had to wonder if there were heart-shaped beds with mirrors on the ceiling as well. The elevator opened to the second floor and the three exited the lift. Buffy grabbed both men by the arm and turned them toward her.

"Look, I know you probably want some privacy to be with your brother. So, uh, I'll just hang back here and uh, not touch anything," Buffy said, a look of disgust on her face. She look disturbingly out of place, with her golden looks and white sundress a stark contrast to the dingy interior of the motel. The image just reiterated in Dean's mind what he already knew, that Buffy Summers didn't belong anywhere in his life.

"Yeah. You do that," Dean said coolly. Bobby gave him a hard look that the younger hunter just shrugged off. It wasn't the first time he'd been a dick to woman he liked. He doubted it would be the last time, either. Buffy just crossed her arms across her chest and shot a daggered looked at him.

_Why the hell is he such an ass sometimes?!_ Buffy thought irritably. _But he had been sweet, too._ She could still feel the warmth of his body next to hers. It was the first peaceful sleep she'd had the last four months. No dreams or nightmares to torment her. Just sweet, peaceful slumber. When she had woken up, she found Dean's flannel shirt and arm around her. It was kinda nice actually. Now he was back to being a bag of butts.

Dean and Bobby stood next to each other in front door 207. Neither one of them lifted their hand to knock at first, but Dean took a deep breath and pounded on the door.

A pretty brunette in a tank top and undies answered, demanding to know where the pizza was that took two guys to deliver. Dean thought they might have had the wrong room till he saw his baby brother walk out from another part of the hotel room.

"Hey ya Sammy," Dean said, his emotions making his voice thick. _He was alive._ That was all that mattered. He walked into the room, his eyes never leaving his brother's.

XXXXX

Buffy could hear Dean as he greeted his brother and her heart gave a little squeeze as she heard the pain and hope that was there. The moment brought a smile to her face, and made her long to see her little pain-in-the-backside sister. But, the moment was shattered when the woman who had answered the door made eye contact with her and Buffy suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Something about that woman was unnervingly familiar to her, setting off all her Slayer instincts.

Buffy turned around and pretended to be looking for her room number. Once she heard the sound of the hotel door closing, she made her way down the hall, around the corner, and waited. She had a hunch the brunette would be leaving soon, and Buffy was going to have a little chat with her.

Ten minutes later, Buffy heard voices outside of room 207, her enhanced hearing picking up the conversation between the woman and Dean's younger brother.

"So, call me."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing, Kathy."

"Christy."

There was an awkwardness between the two lovers as they said their goodbyes. Buffy turned and silently ran down the flights stairs to the lobby. Her Slayer senses were on overdrive and she tried to reason who or what that woman was and why was she so hauntingly familiar . It was too much of a coincidence, and Buffy Summers did not believe in coincidences. Or Leprechauns. Buffy made it to the lobby just in time to see the brunette leave through the hotel's door and turn right.

Buffy followed her at what she hoped was a safe distance. There was no one else on the darkened streets this late at night save for two women; Buffy ran to catch up when the other woman turned into an alley. This would be her chance, she thought. But the alley was empty, even though her slayer instincts were going strong. Coming to a standstill, Buffy looked around to see where the other woman could have hidden.

"Why do all alleys look the same, huh?" Buffy muttered to herself. There wasn't much difference between the alleys in L.A. and here in Pontiac. They all smelled the same, like week-old garbage. There were always boxes and crates everywhere. And vampires. There was always a vampire.

Buffy sensed him as soon as he stepped into the alley behind her. The bright white sundress must have attracted him. Vamps were so predictable.

XXXXX

Dean couldn't believe that Sammy was here. Alive, and already lying to him.

"So, what did it cost you?"

"What? The girl?" Sam asked. "I don't pay for sex, Dean."

"No, to bust me out of Hell, Sammy," Dean said, his voice becoming harsher. "I know it was you. What did it cost you? Your soul? Something more?"

"You think I made a deal?" Sam asked the two hunters.

"That's exactly what we think," Bobby exclaimed, his hurt and anger coming through his words.

"Don't lie to me Sammy," Dean demanded. He walked closer to his brother and stared him in the eyes.

"I didn't do it, Dean," Sam said sadly.

"The hell you didn't," Dean growled. "There's no other way I ended up topside, other than you sold your goddamn soul to bring me back."

"I did not make a deal with a demon, Dean!" Sam stood up and angrily placed his beer on the tiny table in the kitchenette. "I tried! I tried to make a deal, with every Crossroads Demon that I could, but they wouldn't deal, ok! I tried to bring you back Dean, for goddamn months. Every way I could think of, and none of it worked. Whatever brought you out of Hell, it wasn't me."

Dean watched as his brother turned to him. He could see the anguish and failure there in his face. And for the first time, began to doubt his conclusion that Sam had paid the fare for his ride out of Hell. Looking his brother in the eye, the oldest Winchester nodded his head to acknowledge that he believed him.

"So, if it wasn't Sam, then who?" Bobby asked. He, too, had believed Sam. That boy didn't have it in him to lie so passionately about something unless it was true.

"The hell if I know," Dean replied. Sam had been his only real clue and if he didn't do it, they were back to just shit for answers.

"So, what were you doing around here, if you weren't digging me out my grave?" Dean asks his brother, wanting to find out more about what he had been doing in his absence.

"Well, once I figured I couldn't bring you back, I started to hunt down Lilith, trying to get some payback," Sam said.

"All by yourself!" Bobby accused angrily. "Who do you think you are? Your old man?"

"Yeah, Bobby. I'm sorry about that. I was pretty messed up," Sam apologized, though Dean couldn't tell how much he really meant it. There was something off about Sam and he was going to find out what it was.

"Anyway, I was checking on these demons out of Tennessee and out of nowhere they took a hard left and booked up here."

"When?" Dean asked. This was the best lead they had so far, other than the Slayer.

"Yesterday morning."

"When I busted out," Dean said and sat down to think. There still wasn't a reason about why he was busted from Hell, but once they found the demons, they could get their answers.

"You think these demons are here, 'cause of you?" Bobby asked.

"Why?" Sam asked what they had been all thinking. "I've been watching them and they haven't done anything suspicious at all."

"Well, I don't know, some badass demon drags me out and now this. It's gotta be connected somehow," Dean said. But there had to be more to it than that, right? Was there a blonde connection?

"Fuck," Dean cursed under his breath. "Bobby, what if it was Buffy?!"

"Buffy? Who's Buffy?" Sam asked, looking between the two men, confused.

"Freaky hot chick, with even freakier powers than yours, that's who. Claims to be the Slayer."

"Slayer? Really? But why would she want to bring you back? I mean, what would be the point?"

"Dude, look at me. What chick wouldn't want to bring this back?" Dean said as he gestured to his fully-restored body.

"Dean, I have already told you, everything Buffy's saying is the truth. If you don't trust her, you should at least trust me, Dammit!" Bobby cried out.

"Bobby, what if he is right?" Sam said. "How do you even know a Slayer? There has to be a reason hunters avoid them."

"I trust you, Bobby. But how do I know she doesn't have you under some kind of spell or other freaky Slayer powers?" Dean argued hotly. Everything in his gut was screaming that what he was saying was wrong, that the pretty blonde Slayer was everything she said she was. But rather than listen to that, he clung desperately to the only idea that would make it impossible for the girl to ever get farther under his skin than she already was. "She could be playing all of us. It's too much of a coincidence and I believe in those as much as I do leprechauns."

"I'm not under a spell, you idjit."

"Wait, how did this Buffy get involved, anyway?" Sam asked.

"Blondie was there when I dug my way out," Dean said harshly; that was really the only proof he had.

"Dug your way out? You woke up in your coffin?" Sam said, horrified.

"Yeah," Dean said as he took another swig of beer and looked away from his brother's eyes. Instead, he meet the steely grey ones belonging to Bobby Singer. He could tell Bobby was pissed at him. And part of him didn't blame him. In just the short time he had known her, Dean could tell that the girl was sincere. He didn't want to think of her like that either. But it would just be easier this way, he told himself.

"It wasn't Buffy."

"Yeah, but Bobby, if she was there, she has to be involved somehow!" Sam exclaimed.

"It wasn't Buffy!" He growled out, taking both younger men by surprise at the fierceness in his reply. "And I'll prove it to you two idjits."

"How are you going to do that, Bobby?" Dean asked skeptically.

"There's this psychic I know, not four hours from here. She is damn good. If anyone from the other side knows anything at all about this, she will be able to find out for us."

"I guess it can't hurt, can it?" Sam said, looking at his brother.

"No, I guess not," Dean said, confused about how he felt. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than for Buffy to be involved. Then, he could hate her with reason and get his questions answered. The other hand wanted nothing more than to grip the petite woman in his arms and never let go. Which scared the hell out of him, almost as much as going back to Hell did.

"I'll give Pam a call then and let her know we're coming by," Bobby said, giving a stern look at the two boys. "Y'all go find Buffy and tell her we're leaving."

Dean stood up and swallowed the last of his beer. "If she's a physic, won't she know we're coming?"

"Shut up, boy," Bobby growled as Dean smirked back, but there was humor and affection in his voice, too. Sam went to the chest of drawers and began filling his duffle bag with the meager contents. In less than three minutes, he was packed and ready for the road.

"So, where is this Buffy?" Sam asked as the three men left the motel room and entered the empty corridor.

"I don't know. Reapplying her lip gloss, maybe," Dean quipped, though, he was curious as well. _Where was the Slayer?_

XXXXX

Buffy's booted heel gave a highly satisfying _thud_ as it smashed into the chest of the vampire attempting to attack her from behind. Her body twisted around to face the demon as he crashed into the garbage cans six feet away.

"Don't you know it's bad manners to attack a girl without being properly introduced first," Buffy said as the vampire stood again and continued his assault, a snarl leaving his fanged mouth. Buffy blocked and parried each of the blows, though he did finally manage to land one good punch to her right cheek. With another powerful kick to the midsection, Buffy sent the vampire flying across the alley again.

"Slayer, huh? I'm going to see if your blood is as sweet as the rumors say," The vamp said. He started to circle Buffy, who just smiled as she pulled a wooden stake from the front pocket of her sundress.

"I doubt that." Buffy swirled the stake in her right hand and began punching and kicking the demon, the euphoric rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins as the two fought. As the blows were flying, several other vampires jumped into the fray and began attacking the Slayer too. Buffy side kicked the skinny vamp to the left of her and then punched the one who tried to take advantage of her blind backside. She managed to dust two of the vampires in quick succession, which left only three more.

Buffy ducked a right hook from the vampire in front of her but wasn't able to avoid the kidney shot from one of the other vamps that sent her to her knees. She quickly swept her leg out and managed to knock two of the vamps down to the ground and easily staked them. That only left the one who had started the attack. Buffy pushed herself to her feet and looked into the demonic yellow eyes of the vampire.

"That all you got?" Buffy taunted. She was just playing with him now and they both knew it. The vampire launched himself at her again. Buffy met the attack head on and threw him to the dirty pavement. She straddled the vamp and drove the stake into his heart.

"Bye, bye." Buffy pushed herself up and began to dust dead vampire from herself. She walked to the end of the alley, but like she suspected, it was empty. She was going to have to wait to find out who the mystery girl was.

She had just made it back to hotel when she saw Bobby, Dean and Sam exit the front door. The younger Winchester looked even taller next to Dean who had to be at least six feet. He was broad and fit, too. Damn, the Winchester men were HOT!

"Buffy, you're riding with me," Bobby said. She nodded and headed to the truck. She looked back and saw that both sets of Winchester eyes were on her. Neither looking pleased at her presence. Dean looked much like he had earlier in the hallway. Angry and distrustful, but behind that she could see the same longing that she felt. There was definitely an attraction between them. It was Sam's eyes that made her uneasy. There wasn't just distrust there. There was something more. Fear? Why would he be afraid of her? These were the thoughts that troubled her as they drove. Was he hiding something and what could it be?

**I want to dedicate this story to my very dear friend Christina. We might not be able to spend all day on the phone anymore but you will always be in my heart. You were the best friend I could have ever had. See ya on the other side.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to all the reviewers and people who sent messages ****J Those really help when I am just frustrated with how the writing is going. You guys are my muse in a way. **

**A lot of people have asked how closely I am going to follow supernatural. My answer is pretty closely for the first few episodes. They lay a lot of foundation for this and other seasons. But I am trying to find those little moments outside what was on the show too. No one wants to read a retelling of season 4 with Buffy just saying a few lines here or there. This is and always has been in my mind a love story between Dean and Buffy. **

**The other reason why I am following the episodes pretty closely at first is because this is basically my first story, other than a really really bad Harry Potter fic I did 6 years ago. So right now I am really enjoying having the framework already done for me. But I am also working on original content too. I have several "episodes" that are completely original. One of these is going to where Buffy and Dean get their souls bound. There is also one involving Faith and Angel, Jo and Ellen and another with the scoobies. So I hope that answers your question, or at least wets your appetite at little.**

"She's about four hours down the Interstate. Try to keep up." Bobby said to the boys as they exited the motel. They were on their way to the psychic's house to try and get a lead on who had pulled Dean out from the bowels of Hell. So far they weren't having much luck, other than a pack of low level demons and a blonde Vampire Slayer.

That same Slayer came around the corner the same moment they were about to leave. _Convenient, _Dean thought. She looked a little rougher than before. The white sun dress was ruffled and her hair was disheveled. And was she covered in dust? Whatever she had been doing, it didn't take anything away from her beauty.

Dean watched as Buffy climbed into Bobby's truck. He squashed the regret he felt at the thought that she wouldn't be riding next to him again.

"I assume you want to drive." Sam said, causing Dean to forget his disappointment.

"I almost forgot." Dean replied as he caught the keys Sam tossed him. His baby looked even better than he could have hoped.

"Hello sweetheart. Did you miss me?" He crooned to the Impala. He opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. Home. He was finally home.

"What the hell is that?!" Dean asked, horrified at what his brother had done to his baby. He turned and glared at him for defiling his once pristine car.

"That," said Sam, "is an ipod jack."

"You were supposed to take care of her." Dean accused. "Not douche her up!"

"Dean, I thought it was my car." Sam reasoned.

So completely unbelieving of his brothers geekism, Dean just sneered in response and started the car. The perfect purr of her motor was drowned out by the most ridiculous music to ever come from her speakers.

"Really!" Dean cried out to his brother who just shrugged. Unable to stand one more second of the noise, he ripped it away and tossed it into his backseat. Dean gave one more warning look to Sam before he pulled the out of the parking lot and followed Bobby down the road.

"So Bobby, what the story with Sam?" Buffy asked. Bobby looked at her sideways and she could tell there was something he didn't want to tell her. "Was he the one who pulled douche bag Dean out?"

"He says he didn't do it."

"Do you believe him?" Buffy asked cautiously. She could tell Bobby felt very deeply for the men. She didn't want to put him on the defensive. "I mean he might not want his brother to know what he had to do for it, you know."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing but he seemed pretty truthful about that. We're heading out to a psychic I know a couple of hours away. Something this big, she may have heard the other side talking."

"That's good. The sooner we know what we are dealing with the better." Buffy said. _And the sooner I can get away from stupidly freaking hot Dean Winchester. _"Bobby, do you know who that girl was that was there? I saw her answer the door and got a strange vibe from her."

"Nope, never seen her before." Bobby replied thoughtfully. "Dean didn't seem to either now that I think about it. You think she had something to do with this?

"I don't know. I've just got a feeling. Something about her is familiar though." Buffy said. "I tried to follow her when she left the hotel but was jumped by some vamps and lost her. Maybe I've seen her with Sam before in my dreams."

"Maybe." Bobby said. "Sam's usually not the one night stand kinda guy. That's usually Dean's MO." Buffy sat quietly at that news. She didn't know why the thought bothered her so much, but it did.

"So that's the Slayer huh." Sam said as the brothers drove down the road. He looked at Dean who just hummed in response. "I thought she'd be, bigger, I guess. And younger. Dad's journal said most don't make it past eighteen. She's gotta be pretty good if she's made this long."

Dean remained silent. He really wasn't in the mood to talk about Buffy. The two of them sat in silence for a couple of minutes, each one lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" Sam asked, changing the subject suddenly.

"What, Hell?" Dean replied. "I don't know. I, I must have blacked it out or something. I don't remember a damn thing."

"Well, thank God for that." Sam nodded.

"Yeah. Thank God for that." Dean said, he really didn't want to talk about this either. He looked for a different subject. "There's still one thing that bothers me about the night that I bit it. Or, got bit. How'd you make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

"Well, she tried. She couldn't." Sam said. Dean looked at him hard. There was something he was hiding.

"What do you mean, she couldn't?"

"She fired this, like, burning light at me, and… Didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something."

"Immune?"

"Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh. What about Ruby? Where is she?"

Sam paused, just enough that most would not have noticed, but Dean did.

"Dead. For now."

"So, you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?" Dean asks, biting his lip, not sure if he really wanted to ask.

"No." Sam answered, clearly not liking the accusing tone in Dean's voice.

"You sure about that? Well, I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on." Dean said, his anger coming through in his words.

"Nothing, Dean. Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish." Sam exclaimed. He turned his puppy dog eyes to his brother, but Dean could tell there was something wrong in the brown depths, he just didn't know what it was, yet.

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way." Dean says gruffly, letting the subject drop. He felt like a coward because he didn't demand that Sammy tell him what he was hiding, but at that moment he just couldn't do it. He was too happy to have his brother back beside him and the two of them doing what they do best..

An hour later Dean looked down at the dash noticed that the gas tank was almost empty. Had he taught his brother nothing about maintaining a classic.

"Sonofabitch Sammy! You always fill her up when she gets to half a tank. Gimme your phone." Dean demanded. He dialed Bobby's numbers and asked him to pull over at the next gas station. It was time for a food pit stop anyway. Man he was hungry.

Buffy was glad for the break. She hopped out of the truck while Bobby filled up with gas and went to do a little food shopping. Her stomach had been loudly protesting the absence of substance since the scuffle with the vamps. Why was Faith always right? Staking vamps did make you hungry.

The twenty something clerk gave her a scrutinizing once over, lingering on the hiking boots with an offended air as she walked around putting items into her basket. The bell on the door chimed and Buffy looked up as Dean and Sam entered the store. She let her eyes rove of the two men before pushing back the naughty thoughts that seemed to parade around in her head whenever the good looking Hunter was around. _Dammit Faith! _

Dean hadn't expected to run into Buffy inside the station. She must have been hungry too because she carried a wire basket in the crook of her arm loaded with food. He walked down the aisle next to hers, grabbing a large bag of chips without even looking to see what they were. He was too interested in watching the Slayer and his brother who had walked up to her and leaned around to introduce himself.

"That's an interesting basket you've got there." Sam said, his voice cheerful as he stuck his hand out. "I'm Sam by the way."

"Buffy. And what are you saying about my basket?" She asked innocently. "I've got all the major food groups here. Dairy." She held up the Milk Duds. "Grains." Donuts. "Protein." Turkey Jerky. "And Veggies." BBQ potato chips.

Sam chuckled and Buffy smiled back. Dean, on the other side of the aisle was glaring at the two of them, though Buffy just ignored him. The more of jackass he was, the easier it was to keep her raging hormones in check.

"Now I just gotta decide which fruit I want. Starburst or Skittles."

"Go with the Skittles, no little wrappers to get in the way."

"Oh, good thinking!" Buffy said and grabbed the bag of candies. She looked up and meet Dean's eyes which were boring into hers. She tore away from him glace and looked at Sam and smiled. "You must be the smart Winchester."

Sam seemed to be eyeing her thoughtfully before smiling back at her. He grabbed and few Snickers bars as Buffy headed to the register followed by both Winchesters. She had just placed her items on the counter and was reaching for her wallet when Dean finally spoke up and placed his large hand over hers. Buffy's heart raced a little fasted at the warm contact before Dean pulled his hand away.

"Here, I've got it." Dean said and handed the cashier his coke and chips along with a credit card. He could see that she was about to argue with him, so he leaned down and whispered quietly into her ear. "Consider it thanks for pulling me out."

Buffy shrugged and nodded at the cashier. Grabbing her bag of goodies and walking to the sliding door, Buffy turned and said to Dean.

"You still owe me a cheeseburger at least. Ooh and pie. I demand compensation of the pastry kind." Buffy said cheerfully. Ok, so she was flirting. A little flirting never hurt, right?

"Lets get a move on! We've still got two and half hours of road ahead of us." Bobby's voice rang across the parking lot. Buffy took her goodies and headed to Bobby's truck. She turned around to see both Winchester men watching her. Something told her this was not going to be as simple as she had hoped. The next thing she knew they were cruising down the dawn lit highway.

They arrived at the psychic's house before ten that morning. Bobby pulled his truck next to the curb with the Impala right behind him. The neighborhood looked like the average suburban type. Green lawns and cookie cutter houses. Not the typical place one would find a psychic.

Buffy stretched her arms above her head, casting a look around but not picking up any sense of evil. She fell inline behind the boys as they walked up to the porch. Bobby had stepped up to knock but the door flew open suddenly and a beautiful woman in her mid thirties launched herself at the old Hunter.

"Bobby!" She happily exclaimed and lifted him clear off his feet as she grabbed him in a bear hug. Buffy could see the genuine affection the two had for each other. Sam and Dean must have noticed it too because the two brothers shared a look amongst themselves.

"You are a sight for sore eyes." Bobby said as he smiled fondly at her. "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."

"You always bring me the best cases Bobby. So which one of you is Dean Winchester?"

"Hey." Dean said as he stepped forward. He made sure to put his best smirk. He may have been dead for four months, but he still had it.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back into the frying pan, huh? That makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so." Dean replied.

"And you must be little Sammy Winchester." The discomfort was clearly written on Sam's face. His brother could be suck a dork around women.

"It's Sam, actually." Pamela just smiled boldly back at him before turning to Buffy. Dean watched as the two women sized each other up. His thoughts had just stated to turn dirty when the older psychic spoke.

"I never thought I would see the day a Slayer come to me for me for help. Of course I never thought I would meet THE Slayer either. Another rare individual. Like I said Bobby, you always bring the most interesting things. Everybody come on in." The brunette turned and entered back into the house with the rest of the group following behind. "I've been Ouija-ing my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out. Or why."

"So what's next?" Buffy asked. The front of the house seemed normal enough. She didn't know why she felt such a sense of foreboding here. It wasn't like Pam was the one giving her the feeling either. Just a sixth sense that something bad was going to happen.

The group followed the brunette into a large room in the back of the house that had all the usual trappings one was used to seeing at a psychic's. In the center of the room was a large, round wooden table. There were candles and crystals scattered about the space.

"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed." Pamela replied as she set about preparing the room.

"You're not gonna… Summon the damn thing here!" Bobby cried out. Buffy couldn't say she didn't feel the same way. Whatever it was she has sensed in the field, it was powerful.

"No." The psychic laughed. "I just want to get a sneak peek. Like a crystal ball but without the crystal."

Five minutes later the room was ready. Dean had been a little wary while setting up. This was all a little to close to witchcraft. But Bobby trusted her so he would too. He wasn't too concerned in the hypocrisy of trusting the psychic but not the slayer. His old man had gone to plenty of psychics over the years. Some talented, some not. But most Hunters knew to stay far away from the Slayer.

"Ok, take each others hands" Pamela says at the head of the pentagram table cloth. Dean looks to his left where Buffy is seated and holds out his hand with little hesitation. When her land slipped into his, he was amazed at how small and delicate they were. And how right they felt clasped together. He looked up and saw both Bobby and Sam looking at him strangely. He gave them both a go to hell look.

"And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." The next moment he felt a hand sliding along his left inner thigh. He had been so focused on Buffy's hands that the sudden touch made him jump.

"Whoa! He didn't touch me there."

"My mistake." Pamela said with a throaty laugh. Dean looked nervously around. Sammy hadn't seen the hand branded into his left shoulder. Knowing there was no way around it, he dropped Buffy's hand and removed his flannel shirt. With a deep breath he pulled the sleeve to his t-shirt up. He could see Sam staring at it shocked. Dean picked up Buffy's hand once more and felt her give him a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay." Pamela said, her voice business like now as she gently laid her hand in his brand and everyone in the room closed their eyes. The psychic began to chant in a strong authoritative manner.

"I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle.I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle.I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle."

Buffy had been sitting in the circle, trying not to think how strong and warm Dean's hand was while the other woman summoned the one responsible for the jail break when all her Slayer instincts came blaring on. That same instant the TV turned on, roaring with static. And there, amid the static, she heard the same voice that had chased them in the meadow.

"I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy." Pamela said. Buffy could hear the being telling the psychic to turn back, that only peril was ahead if she continued.

"Castiel?" Dean asked, looking as confused as they all felt. Suddenly the table began to rock and pitch and Dean gripped her hand harder as they tried to hold the table down and not break the circle at the same time,

"Its name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back." Pam answered before she continued to chant.

"I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."

The noise and shaking were becoming more violent. Buffy didn't like this. This being was much more powerful than she thought Pam could handle, but the cocky psychic continued to try and control it.

"We need to stop this! Something isn't right, I can feel it." Buffy said but she didn't listen.

"I almost got it. I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

At the last command, Buffy could feel a sudden surge in energy within the circle as the tabled rocked erratically and the flames of the candles in the center flared wildly. She knew that this needed to end right now, Pamela had pushed her luck, even after the being warning her to turn back. She pulled her hands away from Dean and Sam's but it was too late. A blood curdling scream erupted from the older woman as her eyes became filled with a white hot flame. Buffy ran around the table to help Bobby lower her down as she collapsed in her panic.

"Someone call 9-1-1!" Bobby bellowed. Sam jumped up from his chair and dialed from his cell phone while Dean came a crouched beside Buffy. She looked at him and noted that he was just as confused and scared as she was. Pamela's eyes were bleeding and burned, Buffy grabbed her hands to keep them from going to her eyes to feel the damage. Suddenly her lids flew open and beneath was just empty, black sockets.

"I can't see! I can't see!" Pamela cried out in anguish. "Oh God,"

"Shhh, Pam, the medics are on their way." Buffy said soothingly. This should have never happened. Whoever had done this to this poor woman was going to pay.

"Buffy, Dean. I want you and Sam to leave now. This is going to be a mess to explain and I don't want any of you getting investigated. Go find a motel and I'll call you."

"Bobby, we can't let that son of a bitch get away with this! What if it's still here when the medics come? What are you going to do?" Dean argued. Buffy silently agreed with the younger hunter. She did not want to leave Bobby in the hands of anything that could burn out a person's eyeballs just from trying to get a look at them.

"Don't argue with me boy. You three take the impala and go. Now." In the distance Buffy could hear a siren. She looked at Bobby and could see the plea to look after Dean and Sam there. She nodded to him to let him know she understood and stood pulling Dean up with her.

"Come on. They are going to be here any minute. We need to be gone." Buffy said gently not wanting to upset Pamela anymore than she already was, moaning in pain. Sam was standing behind them looking to Bobby one last time before he headed to the door, Buffy and Dean following behind. Buffy quickly grabbed her and Dean's bags from the back of the truck bed and went to the back door of the big black car the brothers had driven there. Dean started the engine and it roared to life with a deep rumble. No sooner had she closed the door then they were pulling away from the curb, the sirens whine very close. Buffy looked back to see the ambulance pulling in just as they turned the corner. The three of them drove off in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

**So this chapter ends episode one, yeah! I did not expect it to take this many chapters, but I look forward to the next episode and seeing Buffy in Action ; ) I tried to push myself on this chapter to expand my writing. I wrote this chapter a little differently and would love to hear everyone's thoughts on it. Do you enjoy it? Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! And we all know I own nothing.**

They were back on the highway, the large black car roaring along. Buffy took out her phone from the bag she had grabbed from Bobby's truck and started sending texts to everyone she thought might be able to find out just who or what this Castiel was. They had a real lead now. That made her feel better, more in control. She really hated the not knowing stage. Buffy looked up from her phone to the front seat where both Winchester men sat. She locked eyes with Dean, who had been watching her in the rearview mirror, face pensive and brooding, reflecting her own feelings on what had happened less than an hour ago.

"So, do you have any idea on who this Castiel is?" Dean asked her. Sam, it seemed, was interested in her answer just as much, or more, as his brother. His hazel eyes bored into hers from under the dark fringe of his hair. Dean kept his eyes on the road. He drove the car with ease and familiarity. This must have been his car, before he had died. The classic muscle car certainly seemed to suit him more than the brother.

"No, I've never heard the name before. But I've asked some friends to dig all they can up on him. Willow has crazy good research skills. And Andrew isn't bad either. We should hopefully know something in a couple of hours. Then, I do my job, kill the baddie and it's back to L.A. before I lose my tan."

"That easy, huh?" Dean said, his gaze still straight ahead on the road, though there was a stiffness to his shoulders that Buffy hadn't seen a moment ago.

"That easy," Buffy replied, even though deep down, she knew it never was. There was a knot in her stomach that hadn't gone away since she'd pulled him from the ground. It couldn't be because of Dean Winchester. Could it? No, it had to be because of the case. A case she needed to finished soon, because the last thing she needed, ever again, was a man in her life. And it was way too easy to imagine Dean Winchester in all sorts of ways. "So, either of you ever heard of Castiel?"

Both men shook their heads and said nothing. Buffy looked back and forth between the two of them and sighed. She hated silence. Silence often got her in trouble, she could never stop her mouth from running away from her. Even Slayer speed couldn't keep up with it.

"What?" Dean asked. Deep as his voice was, it came out harshly, but Buffy could see there was no real anger to it.

"Nothing. I just hate silence," Buffy replied. "So where are we going?"

"Back to Pontiac. Sam followed some demons there, a couple of days ago. We're going to see what they know while we wait for Bobby to get back."

"What kind of demons?" Buffy asked, mentally going over what weapons she had in her bag. Most were just the regular, sharp and pointy kind. Effective, most of the time. The only supernatural weapon she had was the scythe, which she had brought with her. In her dreams, the scythe was often there, though, not always in her hands.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused. He swiveled around in the front passenger seat to look at the blonde in the back. Buffy could see how curious he was about her, the Slayer. But she could also see how wary he was. He didn't trust her, probably thought she was the one behind all this. She didn't really blame him, but it was annoying all the same

"I mean are we dealing with ugly mutant demons or black-eyed baddies hiding in humans, who I really hate ,by the way. It is totally not fair that they hide out in humans." Buffy ranted, trying to release a little of energy she felt twitching in her body. She was never sitting in a car this long. It really sucked.

"Um, they were the black-eyed kind." Sam said to her. His dark hair was long and shaggy and had fallen into his eyes when he had turned to talk to her. He pushed it away absentmindedly. He was taller than Dean, even taller than Riley, and broad across the shoulder. But there was something in the depths of his brown eyes that Buffy found unsettling.

"Figures." Buffy replied, trying to keep the conversation light. "The past year it's mainly demons we've been dealing with in L.A. Just when I had the vamps under control, too. A Slayer's work is never done." She was propped against the back seat with her feet tucked under her, but she shifted them to the side because she didn't want them to fall asleep.

"So, uh, Buffy. When did you become the, uh, Slayer?" Sam asked her again. He was still twisted around to look at her, but it was Dean's eyes in the rearview mirror she sought unconsciously. She could tell that he was interested in the answer. Buffy looked back to the younger brother when she answered, though.

"I was chosen when I was 15. One day I'm normal girl and then the next I'm expelled girl for burning down the school gym. Which was filled with vampires, by the way!" Buffy explained. "It's kinda been my gig since then."

"Why did Pam call you THE Slayer?" Sam questioned her. "I thought there was only one Slayer at a time."

"Traditionally, there was." Buffy said as she leaned forward and folded her forearms along the top of the front seat, giving her back a stretch at the same time. "But when I was sixteen, there was a little incident where I was dead for a few minutes, it shouldn't even count really. Xander brought me back with some well-timed CPR but it was enough that a second Slayer was activated."

"So there's another chick out there with freaky super powers besides you, huh?" Dean spoke up finally.

"Actually, there are a couple hundred of us." Buffy replied nonchalantly. "Five years ago we were fighting the First. The First Evil, that is. And the only way to stop it was to activate all the potential Slayers around the world, so my friend Willow did this spell and presto, instant Slayers."

"The same Willow who brought you back from the grave?" Dean asked. She could see that he didn't like that tidbit of information. "She a witch?"

"Willow is a total Glenda. Not all witches are evil," Buffy retorted.

"Wait," Sam interrupted. "I thought you said Xander brought you back to life?"

"That was the first time," said Buffy. "The second time I died, Willow did a spell and brought me back because they thought I was in a hell dimension."

"How did she bring you back? Maybe that's how Dean was brought back.," Sam said, but before he could get too excited, the blonde interrupted him.

"We already thought of that and it isn't possible. First you need a witch able to do the mojo and then you need an urn of Osiris, which, the last one happened to be destroyed. And it doesn't leave a brand like his, either."

After that, most conversation was over for the rest of the ride back to Pontiac. Buffy decided to try and get some sleep while she could. The backseat of this car was huge and she was able to lay flat out, her bag used as a pillow. Dean must have been watching her, though, because a few minutes after she laid down, his plaid shirt flew across the seats and landed in her lap. She wordlessly thanked him with a smile and closed her eyes to sleep. She just hoped there were no nightmares this time.

Dean parked the Impala outside of the Astoria Motel and killed the engine. He turned around and nudged Buffy, who was sleeping across the backseat.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Get your scrawny butt up. Time to get in a real bed," Dean called out to the Slayer as she started to stretch away the kinks from sleeping. Dean climbed out the driver's door and opened the back door for her. He saw Sam giving him a weird look but Dean just ignored it. Anytime he had looked or talked to Buffy, Sam was there, giving him looks. Alright, so they hadn't proven yet that she wasn't a part of it or working for this Castiel. But dammit, Bobby really did trust her and in a way, so did he. Sammy would come around.

"Why are we back at this dump?" Buffy asked as she followed the two men into the motel. It was late afternoon now and the bright light of day did little to make the place look better. Dean could tell that she wasn't used to staying in places like this.

"We're here because Sam's room is paid up for the week. We're going to track down the demons he followed here and see if they have any answers to who this Castiel is. Got it?" Dean replied.

"Somebody's grumpy," Buffy muttered back, just loud enough for him and Sam to hear her. He caught his brother trying not to smile at the quip and quickly smacked his arm. "I'm going to go see if the room next to yours is open. Me and Bobby can stay in there."

"Hold up! You and Bobby!" Dean burst out. "No freakin' way you and Bobby are knocking boots!"

"Oh my God, no!" Buffy cried out, indignantly. "That's, that's just, gross! I am not sleeping with Bobby. Separate beds, you idiot. Ugh, that is like- me accusing you of sleeping with him! Or Sam!"

Dean couldn't help the little bit of fear he had felt at the thought of her and Bobby together. It had wound tight inside his gut and started to squeeze the breath from him. What the hell was wrong with him? He never got possessive over a girl. Much less one that would never be his.

"Hey. Why the hell does everyone think we are gay?" Dean ranted as they walked across the lobby.

"I don't know. Two strong, good looking guys, getting hotel rooms together. Sam's got that sensitive but bad boy thing going on. And you've got a certain, um…"

"What? What makes everyone think me gay, huh?" Dean asked, as he stood in front of her, blocking her path to the front desk. He watched as she stepped closer, a wicked grin on her face and his breath hitched. She stood on her tiptoes, her mouth was just inches away from his ear.

"It's the perky nipple," She said, loud enough for Sam and clerk to hear. He saw the twinkle of laughter in her eyes and felt his own mouth curve up into a smile.

He leaned his own head down to her ear where he whispered huskily, "If you ever want to compare perky nipples, just say the word". He found that when he was this close to her, everything else faded to the background. He just stared into her eyes, dark green with flecks of gold and brown and rimmed with dark blue. There were no eyes prettier than hers, he thought to himself. Her mouth was gaping open and he thought what it would feel like to kiss her full lips. But the moment was gone with the shrill ring of Sam's phone. He stepped back and watched her walk over to the front desk.

"Yeah, Bobby. You bet. Buffy is getting you a room next to ours back here at the Astoria," Sam said next to him. Dean turned and looked at his brother and looked at him expectantly. Thoughts went back to the psychic and he felt a pang of guilt that he had forgotten about Pam, about finding out who Castiel was, about everything, but her.

XXXXXX

The three of them burst out of Johnny Mac's Dinner, adrenalin rushing through Dean's body. That had been close. The demons they were looking for had taken the three of them unaware there in the dinner. He hadn't been prepared for that.

"Holy shit, that was close!" Dean exclaimed as the trio quickly walked back to the car.

"We can't just leave them in there Dean. We gave to go take them out," Sam said, clearly agitated about the whole thing.

"There's three of them, who knows how many others around," Dean said, unconsciously looking around the parking lot for more. "And we only have one knife between us."

"I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately, Dean," Sam said, the reckless glint in his eyes unsettling Dean. It wasn't like Sammy to behave that way. That was usually him. Dean started to wonder what his death had done to his brother.

"Not anymore. The smarter brother is back in town," Dean replied as he unlocked the car.

"Dean, we've got to take 'em. They are dangerous," Sam said. "Buffy, you agree with me, right?"

"They actually didn't do anything wrong. I mean, yeah they're evil. But I can't just kill the human they're wearing either, especially if they aren't attacking us. I agree with Dean," Buffy said from the back seat. Dean could see she was conflicted about it, too. Hell, so was he.

"They're scared. Okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time."

It was getting late. They were back at the motel and had retired to their separate rooms. Bobby had made it back, his face grim. Pam was stable and out of ICU. But blind, thanks to them. The couch he laid on was lumpy and uncomfortable. _Better than the pine box, _he thought to himself. He closed his eyes finally and let himself relax into sleep.

Buffy jerked awake, her Slayer instincts on high alert. She could feel the same presence she had felt in the forest. It was close. Suddenly the static came from the tv in the living area of the room, blaring loudly in the quiet still of the night. Buffy jolted upright in her bed, confused and disheveled, looking around for the cause of the chaos. She threw the bedspread off her body and rolled, landing in a defensive stance. She had changed into a pair of comfy jeans and a simple cotton t-shirt in dark grey. She jammed her socked feet into her boots and quickly tied the laces. There was the high pitched tone from before as well, the sound piercing through her head and almost drowning out the same voice she had heard the other times. A thud was heard from the next room and then, the sound of glass breaking.

"Bobby! We gotta get them out of there. It's here," Buffy screamed. She ran out of the room and kicked the door into Dean and Sam's room. She found Dean on the ground, curled up to protect himself from the exploding glass all around him. She grabbed him by the arms and forcibly pulled him out of the room. She looked around but didn't see Sam Winchester anywhere. Shoving Dean to Bobby, Buffy motioned for them to go.

Glass shards were everywhere, falling from the mirrored ceiling. She ran to the bed and bathroom and found them empty. Hurriedly she caught up to the Hunters, noticing that Dean was bleeding from the dozens of cuts across his face and bare arms.

"Where's Sam?" Buffy asked as they took a side exit into the parking lot. She looked to Bobby's truck and saw that the big black car they had ridden back here was gone.

"I don't know. But car keys and his wallet were gone," Dean said. He opened the door for her to get in and she did, sliding across the old cloth seats and arranging herself around the stick shift. The driver's door opened and Bobby handed her bag to her, which she thankfully took. She felt better, knowing the scythe was there with her.

She took a towel from her bag and handed it to Dean, who used it to wipe the blood from his face. She had a few cuts herself, though none of them were deep. They would be gone by morning, thanks to Slayer healing. She watched Dean take out a cell phone and call his brother. She was surprised when he folded the towel and started to clean the blood from her own arms as he talked, looking down at his work.

"What are you doing?" Dean said into the phone, his voice surprisingly calm. Buffy had the feeling he didn't want his brother to know that something had happened.

"Well, Buffy and Bobby just came over. We're going to go grab some beers at the bar down the street," Dean said, holding up his hand to stop Bobby from interrupting. Buffy sat silently between them, taking the bloody towel from Dean and putting it back into her bag. "Done. Catch you later"

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby demanded as he drove around the darkened streets. There was no one out this late at night. Even the bars were closed. Buffy glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 3 in the morning.

"Because he would have tried to stop us," Dean replied.

"Stopped us from what, exactly?"

"Summoning this thing," Dean said, his face taking on a determined look. "It's time we faced it head-on."

"You can't be serious! Dean, we don't know what this thing is capable of doing. Besides burning out the eyes of anyone who even tries to get a peek at it!" Bobby said, shocked. But Buffy agreed with the younger hunter. They were no closer to knowing who or what Castiel was. Maybe the best way was a little face to face chat .

"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."

Half and hour later, Bobby, Dean and Buffy were inside an empty warehouse, painting symbols and glyphs everywhere possible.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean said as he came up beside Buffy who was putting the finishing touches on a devil's trap in the center of the room.

"I guess it's a good thing I didn't skip talismans back in high school. Just glad you didn't ask me to do algebra," Buffy replied, standing and replacing the cap to the spray paint. "You think this is going to work?"

"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of.," Dean looked back at the table he had prepared. Everything he could think of was there. Buffy nodded and with a tilt of her head, motioned for Dean to follow her. She went to her bag and pulled out the scythe, it's handle still broken from the blow to the Seed of Wonder. She saw Dean's eyes widen as she expertly twirled it between her hands.

"Just a little insurance. This scythe was made for the Slayer, to wield against evil."

"Wow," Dean said, looking at her with new respect. That must be the red axe Bobby had talked about her killing the Jorogumo.

Bobby called out to him, asking if he was ready. The two of them walk over to Bobby, who had everything laid out, prepared for the summoning.

"This is still a bad idea, you know" The older Hunter said.

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times. What do you say we ring the dinner bell? " And with that Bobby began, pinching off herbs and powders and adding them to the bowl. Smoke with a pungent scent that quickly filled the area as he chanted in Latin.

"You sure you did it right?" Buffy asked, impatiently swinging her legs from the metal table where she sat. They had waited for the spell to work and Castiel to show, but so far they were empty-handed. Bobby turned and glared at her and she held up her hands in surrender.

"Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?" Buffy muttered under her breath, but was shocked when the entire room began to rock and quake. The roof rattled wildly like winds from a savage storm were raging. Everyone grabbed a weapon and stood together, ready to face the enemy. Buffy was surprised that both men grabbed shotguns. She knew they were loaded with shells filled with various things like rock salt and consecrated iron. But even now, she still had a fierce aversion to firearms.

Suddenly, the large doors at the far of the warehouse flew open and in stepped a man dressed in a plain, dark suit and tan trench coat. He seemed unconcerned that there were three people with weapons directed at him. Overhead the lights exploded, sending down a rain of sparks. As if on cue, the two Hunters opened fire and Buffy threw a large knife directly at his head. Both shots hit in the chest, never slowing him down and the knife he batted away before it could even touch him. He stopped 30 feet in front of them, his handsome face unreadable.

"Who are you?" Dean asked, his voice low and dangerous. The man turned to him and gave him a look of reproach, as if they should know who exactly he was.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," Castiel said, his voice even more gravelly than Dean's and spoken with an unusual rhythm. Buffy could see that he was unarmed but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous. She could feel the power rolling off him in waves. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea, as the man continued his walk toward them, stopping close to Dean. Buffy gripped the broken handle of the scythe tighter, ready to attack when the time came.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Dean said and then he plunged the knife into Castiel's chest, all the way to the hilt, but Castiel looked down, unconcerned about the weapon protruding from his body and grabbed the handle and pulled it out, casting it to the ground. Buffy could see the shock on Dean's face. She knew it was on her face as well.

The man was so focused on Dean, he didn't even appear to hear Buffy moving behind him. With all her considerable strength, she drove the scythe into the back of his shoulder. With the familiar sound of ripping flesh and bone, the stranger fell to him knees. She heaved the axe out but was surprised with a punch to the gut when the man in the trench coat spun around. Buffy quickly recovered from the powerful blow and threw a jab and right hook that connected solidly with his jaw and sent him stumbling back and into Bobby, who had a large blade in his hand, raised and ready.

Castiel, without looking, grabbed Bobby's arm and twisted the weapon away, the momentum bringing them face to face. He placed two fingers to his forehead. To Buffy and Dean's shock, the older Hunter fell to the ground, unconscious. Dean, being closer, caught him before he could hit the ground.

"We need to talk, Dean. Buffy. Alone," Castiel said, as he stepped away from Bobby, still out on the floor. "Your friend's alive."

Buffy stared at him unbelieving. He should be dead, or at least hurt. But it was almost as if he had instantly healed himself from the wound she had made not a minute ago.

"Who are you?" Buffy demanded, stepping in front of him and blocking his path to Dean and Bobby. He hadn't made any threatening moves, but she would do all she could to protect the two men.

"Castiel."

"Yeah, we figured that much. _What_ are you?" Dean said, coming to stand next to Buffy.

" I'm an Angel of the Lord," The man said solemnly, as if it was the complete truth.

"Get outta here!" Buffy said, not able to hide the laughter from her voice.

"There's no such thing," Dean said at the same time, his face skeptical.

"This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." As Castiel spoke the words, lightning suddenly flashed through the windows and on Castiel's back, great shadowy wings appeared, stretching across the warehouse. The light disappeared and with it so did the image of the wings. Buffy felt a little dry in the mouth. She had stabbed an angel!

"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?" Dean replied.

"I told you," The angel said, frowning.

"Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?"

"Good things do happen, Dean. I made sure that Buffy would be there for you as well."

"Well in my experience, they don't. Just means you want something."

"What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?" Castiel said, looking actually concerned. Buffy just watched and listened. It had been less than two minutes and already the supposed angel was healed from the wounds.

"Why'd you do it?" Dean asked, staring hard at the other man. Buffy could feel the tension in the room rise a little when Dean asked the million dollar question.

"Because, God commanded it. Because, we have work for you. Both of you. You are the only ones who can prevent it."

And with those words, the angel vanished.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! They really help me to get through and keep writing. This is most likely the last chapter for this year. I may finish another small one like this, but I'm not sure. I hope you enjoy the little bit a Buffy/Dean there at the beginning : ) Please let me know what you think!**

"_It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It's all your fault."_

Buffy shot upright in her bed, her breath ragged and sheets twisted around her legs, trapping her in place. She had had a dream, nightmare, again. The same one she had had last night. That probably meant that it was important. Damn.

She pulled her legs from the twisted sheets and reached over to her phone, checking the time. Three o'clock in the morning. That meant she had only been asleep for two hours. The room she was staying in at Bobby's house was dark, but without difficulty or light, she threw on her comfy flannel pants and slipped out of the room, heading to the kitchen. She knew it was pointless to try and go back to sleep after this, so she opted to settle her mind with a cup of the tea the old Hunter kept stashed in the back of his cabinets. Walking quietly past the open doors to the living room where the Winchester brothers were sleeping, Buffy flicked on the dim light above the stove and started to boil some water. The house was quiet, but there was still the hum of life all around her coming from the old dinosaur of a fridge Bobby still had, late night travelers cruising down the highway just beyond the yard and the restless chirping of crickets.

She was reaching for a mug when she sensed that someone was there behind her. She knew it couldn't be Bobby; he wasn't stupid enough to try and sneak up on her. That meant it was one of the Winchesters and she already had a good idea of which one. She finished pouring her tea before speaking.

"Hey, Dean," She said, not even bothering to turn around. She heard him stop and she turned around, mug in hand and a smirk on her face. But the smirk quickly disappeared when saw him. He was shirtless and barefoot, in nothing more than a pair worn jeans that hung low on his hips. All thought and, apparently, motor function left her as she stared at his chiseled body. Even in the dim light, she could make out every plane and angle and it made her flush, as she felt her own long-dead libido leap to life like the flames of a wildfire. She lifted her eyes to his face and saw him smirking at her. She grabbed the dish towel on the countertop next to her and threw it, hard, though even with her superhuman strength, it had little impact.

"How'd you know it was me?" Dean asked, coming over to her and looking into the cup she held in her left hand. He frowned when he saw just tea.

"You're the only who's ignorant enough to try and sneak up on a Slayer," Buffy said simply ,as she added a heaping spoonful of honey to her cup. She tried to keep her eyes averted from gawking at Dean but wasn't completely successful as she watched him open the fridge and retrieve a beer.

"That hurts, kitten," Dean replied after a long drag on the bottle. The two of them stood there in the kitchen, neither speaking for several minutes. Buffy peeped at him again over the rim of her cup and this time she started to notice that besides looking incredible sexy, he also looked incredibly tired. His eyes were bloodshot and there seemed to be bags under his eyes. She wondered if he was getting any sleep.

"Can't sleep?" Buffy asked him. She knew it couldn't be easy, though he was handling it better than she had. Of course, hers hadn't been the work of God either. But did that really matter? Why or how you were suddenly thrust into a different fate and expected to act as you once were. "I know we don't really know each other or anything. But if you want to talk, I'm here."

"I'm fine," He said, though he didn't completely look it. "Just too much caffeine. What about you? Why are you sneaking around the kitchen at 3 something in the morning?"

She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts and feelings. Her mind didn't want to recall the agonizing details of her dream and she felt her breath quicken at just the thought.

"Nightmare," She said, simply and quietly. A long pause and then she continued, hoping that if she opened up, maybe he would as well. "I was in my old High School, back in Sunnydale. I was in the library but the library was really a graveyard. And I was confronted by a friend, who kept saying it was all my fault that she had died. Over and over again. It didn't matter how much I ran, she was always there. And she was right. It was my fault she was murdered. I didn't do…"

She stopped, not wanting to remember anymore. So much Slayer blood stained her hands, but she had been the first.

"I haven't thought about her in a long time," Buffy said, finally. "And then last night and tonight I dreamed about her, and others, whose blood was on my hands."

"You can't live the life we do, and not get your hands dirty," He said, looking up at her, his green eyes soft and understanding. It was the first time he had looked at her without anger, lust or fear. She gave him a small smile and a sad nod of her head as reply. "You save who can and hope that in the end, it's enough."

"Thanks, Dean. That was rather nice of you to say." Buffy walked over to the sink and put her now empty mug inside. She actually felt a little more settled since talking to him. Walking over to him, she stopped in front of him, not sure what to say. He looked down at her and she felt the magnetic pull that seemed to radiate from him. It pulled her, made her want things she thought she had moved past. He put his large, warm hand to her cheek, the thumb almost grazing her lips.

"Remember the ones you saved, not the ones you couldn't," He said in a husky whisper. The lust was back in his eyes and she knew it was there in hers as well. Was it just her, or was room unbearably warm?

Suddenly, the lights overhead flooded on and a deep voice, rough with sleep, startled them apart.

"Dean?" Sam said groggily. "Buffy? What are y'all doing in here?"

"Couldn't sleep. Came for another nightcap." Dean answered and Buffy nodded. She stepped away from Dean and looked at Sam.

"Back to bed. I'll see ya later," Buffy said, and quickly walked back to her room and climbed to bed. Her cheek was still warm where he had touched her and found that she was indeed tired. She closed her eyes and went to sleep, dreaming dreams of a much more _exciting _nature.

XXXXXX

Buffy wrinkled her nose as a cloud of dust rose from the heavy, ancient tome she had just opened. They were all back at Bobby's den, looking through book after book for any information they could find on angels. It was three days after that night in the warehouse where they had conjured Castiel and found out that a real angel of the Lord had pulled Dean from the nightmare of Hell. It was still a lot to believe, even for three seasoned Hunters and a Slayer. But Sam, who had made it back to the room first, frantic with worry when he saw the state of it, had been the first to believe it. And now, after days of looking, Buffy was starting to believe, too. Dean seemed to be the only one still fighting against the idea.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be," Sam said, annoyance lacing his voice and making it sound harsh. He was sitting in a chair, a large book also in his lap. Dean was standing next to him, his own book forgotten as he paced the room.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel," Dean replied,exasperated.

"Ok, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?" Sam said, trying to talk calmly and rationally, as though with a young child. Buffy wondered if he knew he was talking to his brother, the one who didn't seem to know what calmly and rationally meant.

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie," Dean replied, and Buffy sighed. They had been going round and round on this for three days. While she still had a healthy dose of skepticism on who or what exactly Castiel was, Dean simply refused to believe it. Stubborn did not even begin to describe him, it seemed.

"A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!" Sam said, his patience gone again, but something he said caught the Slayer's attention, and she set aside her book and looked at him.

"Wait," Buffy said, standing and walking over to the two men. She tried to keep her voice cool and her body loose, but inside she was on edge. "You said she's scared of this Castiel? How do you know Lilith is scared of this thing? This the same Lilith who killed your brother?"

Dean turned and stared at her, but she ignored him and stood in front of Sam, who was a great deal taller than herself as he looked down at her. The two of them regarded each other, Dean watching his brother.

"Now that you mention, it Buffy, that is a good question. Sam?" Dean said, himself becoming tense. Buffy could see Bobby stand up from his desk across the room. Her eyes turned back to Sam as she saw him start to fidget under the glares of the three of them.

"Alright, look," Sam began, as he walked to the middle of the room, placing some distance between the Slayer and himself. "That night, I went back to the diner to exorcise the demons there. But two of them were already dead and the other one that was there, the waitress, she told me that even Lilith was scared of this thing. So I pulled the demon out of her but she didn't make it. And get this, all of them had their eyes burned out, just like Pam."

"What the Hell were you thinking! Going back there by yourself!" Dean yelled. "It's a fucking miracle you are still alive. Don't do crap like that without telling me, you hear?!"

"If we could put this little family feud on hold for a moment and come look at this. I got stacks of lore- Biblical, pre-Biblical. Hell, some of it's damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit," Bobby said, pulling all the attention to himself.

"What else?" Buffy asked, not forgetting about Sam but knowing this was even more important.

"What else, nothing. I'm paraphrasing here, but 'Only a true Warrior of Ehyeh in his pure form can walk the lake of fire unharmed and if he has the Blessing of Ehyeh, may return a mortal soul to his grace."

"What the hell is it talking about, pure form?" Dean asked.

"It says that the true body of an Angel cannot be seen by human eyes or heard by human ears. Only in a vessel can they walk free among us," Bobby replied, still scanning the fragile yellow page.

"Vessel? So what? They have to posses a body?" Sam asked.

"No," Bobby said, slowly. "Not just anybody. It must be a vessel, only the chosen can be vessels, they must pray and allow the angel into their body."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean asked.

"It means, you have to give permission to let them use your meat suit."

"Oh, that's just dandy of them, isn't it," Dean replied sarcastically. "Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... Ever?"

"Yeah, one did, Dean," Sam said. "You."

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me."

"Dean, if there can be demons, vampires, werewolves and any number of the other crazy shit I'm sure we've all seen, why can't there angels?" Buffy asked. That seemed to stop and make him think.

"Because, if I believe that angels do exist, does that mean God does too? And if, say he does, why would he give a crap about me? I'm just a regular guy. Sure I've saved a few people, figures that cancels out the stealing and ditching girls. But why me? Why not any of the other thousands of souls in Hell right now? What is so damn special about me?"

Buffy looked at him and saw the confusion plain on his face. It troubled her ,too. Fate was a ruthless bitch as far as she was concerned. She made some people give everything, took them to the brink and asked for more. Yet others never saw the hand of Fate in their lives, they lived them as they pleased and went peacefully in their old age. But she could still remember the peace and contentment she had felt when she had been in Heaven, even after all other memories of it had faded; she still held tightly to that.

"Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs," Sam said to his brother.

"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by... God." Dean shook himself. "So what do know about angels?"

"What do you think we've been trying to do you idjit. Keep reading!" Bobby grumbled, and went back to the stack of books on his desk. Buffy smiled at his show. It was good to be with a group again, it made her miss her friends back in L.A.

Thinking of her friends, she remembered that it had been a couple of days since she had checked in with them. She grabbed her phone and noticed a message from Willow. She held the phone up to her ear and listened.

"Hey, Buff, listen. Something happened to Olivia over in Minneapolis. I've been trying to get a hold of her about this angel Castiel stuff, but last night I felt her die. Can you go check on it? She's about six hours from Bobby's house there in Sioux Falls. Let me know what you find out. There was some powerful energy worked in the area the day before yesterday, so be careful Love ya."

Buffy hung up the phone. That was when her dreams about Kendra had started. Her gut told her this wasn't a coincidence. Something was starting, she just didn't know what it was.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok, this should have been the second part of Chapter 7. Later on I'll make them one chapter, but for now I'm going to leave them as two. I hope everyone is liking the story so far. I appreciate all the reviews : ) And just in case anyone forgot, thought I don't see how, I do not own anything having to do with Buffy or Supernatural.**

Dean wasn't exactly sure how it had happened. Buffy had walked into the den, face worried and distraught, saying she had to leave and check on something, could she borrow a car from Bobby, and next thing he knew, he was volunteering to drive her to Minneapolis. Sam had looked at him incredulously, saying there was still a lot of research that needed to be done. Dean had suggested Sam stay, then, and keep reading, but his younger brother had narrowed his eyes and said if Dean was going, so was he. Bobby had looked at him, amusement crinkling his eyes and said he would go too, though in his own truck. Apparently there was a hunter friend of his in that area and Bobby had tried to get a hold of him but he wasn't answering, which was very unusual.

"How about Buffy rides with me. We'll check on her friend's place and you two go check on Bobby's friend. Meet up after." Dean said as they walked to the vehicles. He could see Sam about to argue, but Bobby spoke up first.

"Sounds good. Come on Sam." Sam looked at Dean and then at Buffy before rolling his eyes and walking to the truck.

"I don't think your brother likes us being alone." Buffy said archly once they were in the car. Dean looked her and laughed. He didn't know when he had stopped trying to push her away, but he was glad he had. Things were lighter between them now, though there was still enough sexual tension to choke on and sometimes it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself. But he found that he enjoyed her company too. She was smart, sharper than what you first thought when you meet her, and she had a feisty wit that he liked. Not to mention she was gorgeous and he didn't know if he would ever stop wanting to watch her.

"He's just worried I'm going to seduce you." Dean replied, turning and smiling charmingly at her.

"Are you?" Buffy said teasingly. "Going to seduce me?" Her voice had gone low and husky at the last part and Dean felt his blood begin to boil and travel elsewhere.

"Maybe." He replied and saw her blush before laughing and looking away.

"This the right place?" Dean asked her as he pulled the car up to a small, brick house. The neighborhood wasn't rich but neatly kept. This house was on a cul de sac, the other houses around it empty and with For Sale signs on the lawn. There was no one around, which suited Dean just fine.

"Yeah, this is it. Olivia just moved here six months ago. Got it cheap as a foreclosure." Buffy said as they walked up to the door. She knocked, the sound echoing around them. No answer, and so she knocked again. Dean was starting to get a bad feeling. He leaned over the porch railing and looked through the window. The room was a mess. Buffy must have seen his face because with a powerful kick, she busted down the door.

Inside, the house was in disarray, mundane and occult items littered the floor. It looked like there been a violent struggle. He noticed as he walked over the threshold that salt was under his feet. So she had been a Hunter, he thought to himself.

"Olivia? It's Buffy." Buffy called out, taking in the carnage. Suddenly her eyes widened and Dean followed her gaze as she bolted to the body fallen on the floor in the next room. He saw blood everywhere as he walked into the small room. There had been a massive struggle. Among the wreckage was a high tech EMF reader, not far from her hand.

Buffy was kneeling down beside the body, silent tears falling down her face. The sight of it made his gut twist.

"Your friend was rocking the EMF detector. Though I've never seen a ghost do this to person, it's like it was on steroids or something." Dean said as he continued to look for clues, trying to keep his mind on business.

"That doesn't make any sense though." Buffy said, as she stood. "Olivia retired. That's why she moved here, to get a fresh start."

"Sometimes there no such thing as retirement in this life." Dean said, his voice sad because for him it was true. There was no way he was ever going to get out. The thought was sobering. He saw a small, sad smile on her face and knew she thought the same thing.

"Come on, let's go, there's nothing we can do here but call it in." Dean said.

They made an anonymous call to the authorities and watched from down the road till the police came. They called Bobby, and agreed to meet at a small diner on the outskirts of town.

"So, what. We have a ghost targeting Hunters now?" Sam said as they waited for their food. The four of them were sitting in a booth inside a small choke and puke diner. Buffy had been pretty silent and Dean was a little worried about her. But she looked up and he could see that below the sadness there was strength. And anger.

"Looks that way. We need to get a hold of every Hunter we know and warn them." Bobby said. He pulled out a map, showing them the locations of every Hunter he knew within driving distance. Buffy added two Slayers of her own to the mix then they divided them out between the two groups while they ate burgers. Buffy would go with Bobby this time. Dean didn't argue, he had a feeling it had been Sam's idea. Right now they had work to do and he didn't any distractions

They left the diner and started driving to Jackson. They weren't on the road long before Sam brought up the topic of the Slayer.

"Do you trust her Dean?"

"Who? Buffy?" He replied. He could see the worry in his brothers eyes, but there as more to it than that. "Yeah, I guess. Bobby does too."

"Dean, what if she's playing you? We don't know anything about her." Sam explained. Dean kept silent, letting him do the talking. "And I don't like the way you look at her either. You're falling for her, aren't you/"

"Look Sammy. I get where you're coming from, ok. But whatever you think is going on between us, you're wrong. Ok , yeah, she's hot. Smoking hot. But you and I know that relationships are not my thing. So chill out ok. I've got this under control."

"Do you Dean? Because I don't think you do. I think you're falling for her. What happens if she's evil?"

Dean couldn't even begin to picture Buffy as evil. He could see it clearly on her face and in her eyes that she was what she said she was, though he didn't say that aloud.

"What? Evil like Meg? You know the kinky blond you left me for as I recall?" Dean said, feeling no qualms in bringing up that bitch, even though it stung his brother.

"I'm just saying be careful, ok Dean. At least until we know more about her."

"Hey, Bobby, it's me. We're here at Jeb's. It's not good man. He's dead too." Dean said into cell phone. He could Bobby moving around through the speaker, it sounded like he had just closed his truck door.

"I checked on Carl Bates and R.C. Adams. They've redecorated... in red." Bobby said, his voice gruff but otherwise emotionless.

"What the hell is going on here, Bobby? Why did a bunch of ghosts suddenly want to gank off-duty hunters?" Dean said, anger seeping into his voice. That made eight Hunters dead, all murdered brutally.

"I don't know, but until we find out, you guys better get your asses to my place. Buffy and I are headed there now."

"We're on our way." Dean said and then hung up the phone. He looked around for Sam but still didn't see him. Replacing the nozzle to the gas pump, Dean walked to the trunk and opened it, taking out the shotgun with salt rock rounds already loaded. It wasn't like Sam to take this long. Dean began to feel an anxious swell in his gut. He walked to the back of the station, keeping a lookout for people. Suddenly he heard the sounds of a struggle, coming from behind the closed door of the men's room and he sprinted the last yards and yanked on the door as hard as he could.

Without hesitation Dean pulled the trigger, sending the ghost of Henriksen away. He grabbed Sammy from off the floor and helped him up. He could see blood flowing from a cut above his brow but it wasn't anything serious. Sam seemed to still be a little dazed, so Dean threw his brother's arm around him and with his shoulder, supported his weight. There wasn't enough time to wonder what the hell was going on and why Henriksen was haunting Sam. He had to get to a hold of Bobby.

The men were able to get into their car and drive off without anyone in the station noticing them, for which Dean was thankful. Sam was slumped in the passenger seat, his face already darkening with bruises. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Bobby, but he never answered,

"Damn it, Bobby! Pick up!" Dean growled, trying hard to keep his frustration in check. He opened the phone again, planning to call Buffy but he suddenly realized he didn't know her number. He threw the phone into the middle of the seat and looked over to his brother. "How you feeling, huh? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None. I'll be fine, Dean."

Dean stared ahead, watching the darkened road as he drove. They were less than an hour away from Bobby's. He needed to keep his mind off the what if's that were racing though his head.

"Henriksen,?" He asked.

"Yep." That was Sammy said in reply and irritated Dean even more.

"Why? What did he want?" He looked at his brother and there was pain and guilt there. He felt bad too, had suspected that he was dead, though it still wasn't without pain to hear.

"Revenge, 'cause we got him killed." Sam said and Dean felt an even deeper stab of guilt that he pushed away, like he always did, had to do, to get the job done.

"Sam." Dean said, trying to reach out to him. He knew how personally Sammy took crap like this.

"Well, we did, Dean."

"All right. Stop right there. Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay? I can't get ahold of Bobby, I don't know Buffy's number, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all. We gotta deal with this, before you get all Emo on me." Dean said harshly. After that there was no conversation and Dean used that to his advantage, pushing the Impala faster than was safe on the dark back roads. But he knew he had to get there, that something was up because it was not like Bobby to not take his calls. He just hoped they were in time. He couldn't take the thought of finding either of them like they had the others.


	9. Chapter 9

Buffy felt like her entire being was on a knife's edge. It took all her will to stay seated in Bobby's truck as they drove on, leaving yet another house with the bloodied remains of a Hunter. There was a deep anger rising inside her. Anger at whatever was killing these people who could have been friends, and even a little anger at herself because she should have been able to save them. Though she was able to bury those thoughts, she knew still they were there, lurking in her mind and waiting for those times when her guard was down.

They had found the two Hunters dead in their own homes. Bobby hadn't said a word at the loss of his friends., though she knew it troubled him. The pair of Slayers living in the area, Sarah and Kitty, were away on a case, for which Buffy had been grateful. They were sisters who lived together. Active Slayers, and at one time members of Buffy's dojo, they were both cheerful, happy girls who met everything they did in life with enthusiasm. It was hard not to like people like that.

As they Drove, Buffy thought of the her life over the past three years ago. After the whole Angel/Twilight saga she had moved to L.A. with Dawn and Xander, who were just dating at the time. She had had no idea on what to do for money, so she opened a Dojo, specializing in training women. It became a hangout for Slayers, at least the ones still talking to her, but the majority of their members were regular women. They seemed to enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and camaraderie. Buffy taught classes three days a week. Right now her classes were being covered by Claire, a young Slayer, proficient in all forms of defense. Buffy missed her classes, but it wasn't unusual for someone to pinch hit for her either. She just hoped she could get back home soon.

Thinking of home made her think about her sister and Buffy looked back at her phone. It was three in the morning there in L.A. Too early to call, she thought. But then memories of years of unpleasant and rude wake-ups came to her and she felt her lips curl into a sweet smile of revenge.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Buffy?" Xander's voice came out muffled and Buffy felt a little bit of guilt slice through her. She knew he had to get up early for work.

"Hey Xan, let me talk to Dawnie." Buffy said, able to hear her sister mumbling in the background and her guilt left. The phone was passed, or more likely grabbed, and within seconds Buffy could hear her sister's voice.

"Buffy? Are you ok? What's going on?" Even in the middle of the night, her sister still managed to talk a mile a minute. It was endearing in a way.

"Yeah I'm fine, here with Bobby still," Buffy replied as Dawn sucked in oxygen, knowing it could be her only chance to get a word in. "Listen, you need to put all the girls on alert. Something is going after Hunters and Slayers. It seems to be localized to this area but I don't want any chances ok."

"Is this about Olivia? So, she's really dead then?" Dawn asked, finally slowing down and speaking thoughtfully as she remembered the fallen Slayer.

"Yeah, she's dead. We think there is some kind of ghost going after Hunters or something," Buffy said, looking at Bobby. She knew he had to be hurting after the loss of his friend, but he stoically looked ahead. "I want you give everyone the heads up but I'm staying here till this is taken care of, ok."

"That the only reason you are staying?" Dawn asked archly and once again Buffy really felt the urge to throttle her sister. "Nothing to do with dream hunk? Come on, tell if he is was as good looking in person as you said he was in you dreams!"

Not for the first time, and probably not the last, Buffy really regretted telling Dawn about her dreams. For over a year Dawn had been trying to hook Buffy up with any number of guys in the attempt to make the Slayer as blissfully happy as she was, and each one had ended before the second date.

"Dawn, just make sure everyone is on guard, ok. Give Xander my love." Buffy said and hung up the phone. Talking to Dawn could be more exhausting than slaying.

"Bobby? Do you really think a ghost is doing this?" Buffy asked as they drove down the darkened highway.

"I don't know. Evidence looks like it. But I ain't ever seen a simple ghost do that kind of damage."

"Me neither, although I don't usually deal with spirits. But something in my gut says there's more to it than we know."

~*~

They drove into Bobby's place a little after daybreak. Both were exhausted but the demands of the job never ceased. The older hunter went out to take care of his dog, Rumsfeld, who stayed in the junkyard during his owner's absence. Buffy, on the other hand, went straight into the house. Face grim, she went to the den to begin searching for anything that could help them vanquish whatever it was haunting and killing Hunters.

The house was quiet and Buffy settled into an oversized chair with a large tome, tucking her feet under her as she began reading. The minutes passed and still she hadn't heard Bobby come into the house. Starting to worry, she deposited the book onto the ground next to the chair and stood up, trying to pick up any sound within the house. The silence was frightening. All her senses were burning hot.

"Bobby?" Nothing. Buffy pulled a wicked-looking dagger from the sheath hidden in her pocket, and held it tightly, ready to strike. Walking quietly from room to room, Buffy was mentally reviewing everything Bobby had told her about ghosts. Iron, he had said would repel them for short time. She looked around the house, knowing there would be iron items around because that was just Bobby.

A chill passed over Buffy, as if the temperature around her suddenly dropped thirty degrees and she shivered. The lights flickered overhead, drawing her gaze to the ceiling. She knew this wasn't the effect of faulty wiring. When her eyes looked toward the doorway, a part of her really wasn't surprised to see her there.

~*~

Dean pushed the Impala dangerously fast around the road's curve in the early morning light. He was only ten minutes away from Bobby's house, but that did nothing to lessen the tension in his body. It had been over an hour since he had talked to the old Hunter. After finding the ghost of Henriksen attacking his brother, Dean had been worried about Bobby and Buffy.

"You know we can't help them if you kill us before we get there." Sam said, bruised face grimacing at his brother's reckless driving. Dean only grunted in response, eyes never leaving the road. When they finally arrived at Singer Salvage, both men jumped out and grabbed the shot guns loaded with rock salt rounds.

The sudden burst of barking from within the junkyard stopped both men in their tracks. Dean motioned straight toward the house with his right hand and then in the direction of the noise, silently telling his brother Sam to check the grounds outside. Sam nodded his head in the affirmative and the two of them separated.

The house was eerily quiet and it unnerved Dean Shotgun pressed tightly into his shoulder, he rounded the corner into the den. Nothing looked out of place, he thought as he scanned the room.

"Bobby? Buffy?" Dean pushed back the door that lead from the den to the kitchen. The hinges creaked and the sound nearly made him jump out of his skin. He cursed under his breath at his own jitters.

"Come out, come out, whoever you are," Dean said. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The temperature plummeted and the air rose from his lips in a white vapor cloud.

"Dean Winchester. Still so bossy."

~*~

"Kendra?" Buffy said, confusion and fear rising up inside her. Why was Kendra's ghost killing hunters and slayers?

"Buffy," There was a deadly coldness to girl's dark eyes that Buffy had never seen before. She tried to tell herself that the person standing in front of her wasn't her friend. "Did you really tink tat you would never have to pay."

"Pay for what?" Buffy asked warily, slightly shifting on the balls of her feet. She didn't know what was going on and why the ghost of a Slayer she hadn't seen in eight years was haunting her here and killing others.

"Don't you know? D'ere were so many of us to choose from. Do you even remember all their names?" The words were lilted with the pronounced accent of her Island heritage. Buffy remembered her dream, still vivid in her mind.

"The Slayers," She answered simply. She saw Kendar nod her head.

"D'ey followed you. D'ey trusted you. And you betrayed d'em," Kendra said. "D'ey are dead because of you. I am dead because of you."

Buffy could see the anger and anguish in her. She felt the constrictive rope of guilt tighten around her chest.

"I never meant for anyone to get hurt. Especially you Kendra. When I found out..."

"What? You would have killed her? Killed Angelus? You were weak. You didn't kill them and I had to pay the price. It should have been you!" Buffy could feel the pain and anger rolling off the former Slayer. Her own feelings of guilt rose and she pushed them down as she concentrated on the apparition before her.

"I'm sorry, Kendra. If I had known, I never would have gone. Please, I'm sorry," Buffy tried to explain. She needed to find Bobby. He would know what to do. Until then she would do her best to keep the spirit from getting too angry.

"That's not good enough! You have to know," Kendra said. "I did everything they ever told me to do. I trained and I learned. I gave up me family and friends. I gave dem everything but you were the one who lived. What makes you so special? Why should you have it all and not me?"

"Kendra, that wasn't me. It was the Watchers. They did it. You need to see that, please."

"No! It was you. You chose dat vampire over all of us. You let me blood run because you were too weak to kill him." Kendra's voice rose and instinctively Buffy shifted into a fighter's stance. It was not a moment too soon because the ghost Slayer launched herself forward, tackling Buffy to the ground. "You are going to feel every drop of blood drain from your body, like I did."

~*~

"You don't recognize me?"

The woman standing in front of him was vaguely familiar but he couldn't place her. She was pretty, with soft brown hair that fell to her shoulders.

"This is what I looked like before she cut off all my hair and dressed me like a whore."

Suddenly Dean had a flashback of her with cropped blonde hair and wearing red leather.

"Meg?" Dean must have tightened his grip on the shotgun because the woman before him held up her hands.

"Hi. It's ok. I'm not a demon."

"You're the girl the demon possessed?" Dean asked. He didn't know why the ghost was taking her form. Sam and he had thought it was taking the forms of people they hadn't been able to save.

"Meg Masters. Nice to finally talk to you when I'm not, you know, choking on my own blood. It's okay. Seriously, I'm just a college girl. Sorry - was. I was walking home one night and got jumped by all this smoke. Next thing you know, I'm a prisoner...inside my own head. Now, I was awake. I had to watch while she murdered people."

"I'm sorry," Dean said, not knowing what else to say. Suddenly overhead he heard a thump large enough to make the chandelier move. He raised the shotgun level but she wasn't there.

"You won't be able to save her you know," the ghost of Meg said and instantly he knew she was talking about Buffy. He brought the shotgun level but Meg was too fast. She kicked him hard in the gut and he dropped the weapon on reflex. "She's going to die and there will be nothing you can do."

Dean struggled to stand up but the ghost kept up her assault. More sounds drifted down from the next floor and he tried again to fight back and reach the dropped gun.

"You never even tried to save me. You shoot first and ask questions later. Or should I say you throw people out the window first. Did you ever once think what would happen to me!" She emphasized her message with a jarring kick to the stomach. Dean tried to roll out of the way, but he still bore the brunt force of the blow. He wasn't the only one taking a beating, if the noise upstairs was any indication. The chandelier rocked again. The iron chandelier. Dean reached painfully for the backup handgun he had stashed and drew it.

"Come on, Dean, did your brain get french-fried in Hell? You can't shoot me with bullets."

He ignored the ghost and took aim at the rope holding the fixture.

"I'm not shooting you."

~*~

The two Slayers tumbled into the hallway, slamming hard into the wood-paneled wall. The spirit was surprisingly strong, more so than Buffy had expected. Kendra was on top of her, her fingers grasping for her neck. Buffy wedged her knee between the ghost and pushed her off. She quickly scrambled to her feet and ran toward the front of the house. She needed to get to her bag. It held the only weapon she had that would fight off a ghost, the scythe. Then she had to find Bobby. She knew it wasn't good that he hadn't come into the house yet.

She made it to her bag, reached in and grabbed her scythe. Kendra hasn't reappeared. With cautious steps, Buffy walked through the house. She had just made to the top of the stairs when the not so friendly ghost Kendra appeared, taking Buffy completely by surprise. She raised the scythe but ghost Slayer had been too quick, kicking her in the pit of her stomach and sending her tumbling down the flight of stairs.

_Damn that hurt,_ thought Buffy. Her left shoulder was banged up pretty bad but she didn't let that stop her from standing and running back up the stairs. This time she was ready for the attack and blocked the kick with her right arm, sending Kendra stumbling back.

Once on the landing, she swung the scythe in a graceful arc. Kendra dodged the blow but was forced to retreat backwards, which was what Buffy wanted. She just hoped her plan would work. A hard hook sent Buffy to the ground but she came back up with a front kick of her own that sent the spirit stumbling back.

Buffy continued to wield the scythe, slowly backing her former friend into the small bedroom at the end of the hallway with each thrust. She had her on the defensive.

The ghost continued to avoid the weapon in her hand, confirming in the Slayer's head her suspicion that the power of the scythe could vanquish ghosts.

Kendra was almost in position. The door was open and inside she could see the bag of rock salt sitting on the floor. _And I thought Bobby was just being paranoid, _she thought, remembering when she found it the last time she was there.

Her plan clear in her mind, Buffy doubled her attack, pushing her adversary deeper into the room. With one swift swipe of the scythe, Buffy ripped open the bag of rock salt and grabbed a handful. She hurled it with all her might directly into the ghost's chest. It wasn't enough to vanquish her, but it did buy her time. The scythe sang as the Slayer swung it through Kendra's body, which began flicker in and out before totally disappearing.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy took a second to calm herself. She needed to find Bobby. She was just about to leave when a sudden chill racked her body. A voice called to her, a voice she never thought she would hear again.

"Hello Buffy."

"Giles?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Giles?" Buffy felt all the air forcibly leave her lungs and in its place, a gripping panic took hold. Every memory of him was warring with what her eyes were seeing and her instincts were telling her. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't be. Let it be anyone but him.

He stood there; horn-rimmed glasses, tweed suit and all.

"Giles? What...Why did you do this? You have to stop, please," Buffy begged her former Watcher, her voice coming out shriller than she had expected. She could feel tears begin to form in her eyes and she blinked furiously to hold them back. It had been almost three years since his death; it seemed like both yesterday and a lifetime ago. He stepped closer to her, every detail of him just as she remembered, sharper and clearer than any dream she had ever had of him.

"It will be over soon enough, now that the Witnesses have risen," He said in the calm and reassuring way a parent spoke to a child. His cultured voice cut right through her, sending shivers down her spine at the absolute detachment in his manner. This wasn't right. Giles could never do these things. He wouldn't kill and mutilate people like that. Not innocent people. He wouldn't do that to Olivia, to her.

"I don't understand. Why are you here? You're... dead." The last words stuck on her tongue like a spoonful of peanut butter. She hated having to say the words aloud, it suddenly made his death real again, made the pain fresh.

"And whose fault is that, Buffy?" Ghost Giles spoke the words softly, but they stung like a slap to the face. She gasped at his reply but then closed her mouth as the shame hit her. He was right. It was her fault that he was dead. She hadn't been able to save him that day in the cave. She had watched as her vampire ex-lover Angel had snapped his neck.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know." Buffy pleaded, hoping he could see how truly sorry she was. The pain and betrayal Angel had caused was still achingly clear. Time had not been able to dull it yet.

"I loved you like a father would. More than any person in this world." Buffy's heart broke into tiny pieces at his words. "You stood there as he snapped my neck. Just like Jenny's."

"Giles, please, I'm so sorry. If killing Angel would bring you back, I would do it. But it won't." This couldn't be Giles. He wouldn't say these things to her. He knew that she would have died before she willingly would let anything happen to him. That simple thought gave her the courage she needed to shove the pain aside. He was standing very close to her now. In her mind, she could almost smell his aftershave. He raised his hand to her face, as if to brush her hair away.

In the distance, the low rumble of a car could be heard as it echoed through the silence. The sound vaguely familiar to Buffy but she didn't have time to wonder where she had heard it before. She took a step back and stared defiantly into her mentor's eyes. His hand was still raised in the air when she spoke.

"You're not Giles." The words were spoken in barely a whisper, but they reverberated across the room. It was a truth she had to hold onto. If he wasn't Giles, then she would be able to fight him. His eyes flashed with rage and he curled his hand into a fist, crashing it down onto her jaw. The force of the hit caused her to drop to her knees. Buffy's head snapped up and anger flooded through her body. She lashed out with her left leg, sweeping the ghost's corporeal body to the ground. The scythe was still in her hand and she swung it down hard but the spirit disappeared before it could touch him. She stood; he was still close by.

Downstairs, Buffy heard the front door open. "Bobby? Buffy?" Dammit, she knew that voice. Dean Winchester. A cold hand clamped down over her mouth and held her tightly before she could respond. Though she struggled, she couldn't break the hold.

"Have you any idea what it sounds like to hear your own neck break?" The words were spoken directly into her ear, but there was no whisper of breath upon her skin. The hand that had been holding her arms to her side clamped around the back of her neck, fingers digging into her flesh. Repulsion sent shivers down her spine and propelled her into action.

Buffy threw back her head, crashing it into Giles. In any other being there would have been the sickening sounds of breaking bones and cartilage, but not this time. The force of the blow sent the two of them crashing to the floor. She rolled to the left just in time to avoid a vicious hit to the head. Scrambling quickly to her feet, she held the scythe lightly in her hand, waiting for the form of her father figure to appear. The shock of seeing him was gone, replaced instead with a burning anger. Wisps began to form to her right and she swung deftly with her weapon through it, only to swing again as more appeared. She knew this fight was going nowhere. She could hold off the ghost, sure. But she didn't know how to banish them. Bobby did.

A noise to the side drew her attention to the large bookcase laden with ancient volumes. A split second later it came crashing down, narrowly missing her as she jumped out of the way. She wasn't fast enough, though, to avoid the hard kick to the stomach, its force so strong it made her double over and drop the scythe. Fingers wrapped around her neck and squeezed, hard enough that she was unable to pull air into her lungs. Giles' face was red and distorted with rage, so much so that he didn't even look like her former Watcher.

Buffy brought her fists down hard onto the arms of her attacker, wrenching the hands away from her throat. Suddenly from downstairs, the blast of a shot gun rang out. The pseudo Giles looked panicked for a split second before turning back to her and continuing the attack with a particularly hard hit to her jaw, knocking her into the rubble of books from the fallen case. In the blink of an eye he was on her again, choking the air from her body.

"He won't save you," Ghost Giles said savagely. "None of them will. Because you are not

worth saving, are you?" With each harsh word, he squeezed tighter on her windpipe. Buffy clawed at the arms holding her down but still the world around her grew dim as the loss of oxygen made her weaker. Was this really how she was going to die?

The iron chandelier crashed to the floor, banishing the ghost of Meg Masters. Dean knew he had bought some time but not a lot. He ignored the piercing pain in his ribs as he stood up and reloaded the shotgun. Keeping the weapon tucked into his shoulder, he made his way up the stairs.

Sounds could be heard coming from the room Buffy had stayed in. That can't be good. He thought back to what Meg had said, that he wouldn't be able to save her. He felt his insides clench at the thought. He was outside the door now, praying that he wasn't too late. He kicked the door open, ripping off bits of the door frame in the process. What he saw made his blood run cold and his heart freeze. A man was on top of her, choking Buffy, whose body suddenly looked small and lifeless.

"Get the hell off of her!" Dean roared as he emptied both barrels of rock salt into the ghost. He was on the ground next to her only seconds later.

"Buffy? Buffy? Are you ok?" He breathed a sigh of relief when she started taking great gulps of air. Without thinking of what he was doing, he gathered her up in his arms and crushed her to him.

"Dean, you're smothering me," Buffy softly said, her vocal cords raspy from the abuse she had just endured. He quickly let go and pushed her away. He thought she would be upset but there was a soft smile on her lips.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He stood up and reached down to help her. He looked at her closely and took in her injuries. There were a few gashes on her, none of them serious. The skin along her jaw, though, was already darkening from a large bruise. It was large enough that it almost blended together with the bruises along the column of neck.

"You ok there, princess?" He asked her seriously, no venom behind the pet name. Just concern. His hands found their way back to her, tilting her chin up so he could get a good look at the damage.

Buffy could feel the warmth of his hands on her skin as he looked over her injuries. She knew from experience that they would be gone by morning. It wasn't anything she hadn't endured before. She told that to Dean, who just nodded in response.

"Do you know where Bobby is?" Dean asked. She had the wicked-looking axe in her hands again.

"No, he never came in the house after checking Rumsfeld," Buffy replied, concerned. "Do you know what is going on here? I don't understand why Giles and Kendra would..."

Her voice trailed off but the words hung in the air. Try to kill me.

"I'm not sure what the hell is going on. But it's some serious shit." They made it to the bottom of the stairs just as Sam burst through the front door, Bobby thundering behind him.

"Study, now!"

"So, they're all people we know?" Sam asked, forehead wrinkled in thought. They had been sitting in Bobby's study for five minutes now, trying to find answers.

"Not just people we know. People we couldn't save," Dean said. He was up and pacing the room, the energy coursing through his body preventing him from sitting still and reading.

"It can't be true." The words were spoken determinately. All eyes turned to the Slayer as they waited for further explanation. "Giles would never, ever do those things, not to me or Olivia. That is not them, someone is using their forms to make us think that it's them."

"Buffy." It was Bobby who had gently spoken her name. He knew, of course, about her watcher. He knew his death had left a hole inside her that was never going to fully heal. Wounds like that though, they could get in the way of what needed to be done.

"Bobby, he said something about what is going on. He said it would all be over soon, now that the witnesses have risen. Does that make any sense to you?"

"He said that? 'Now that the witnesses have risen'?" Bobby asked urgently. He began to leaf through a leather bound book on his desk.

"Balls!" The sudden shout startled the three people out of their research. Bobby stood up and frantically began to collect books. "We need to get out of here, now."

"What the hell is going on, man?" Dean asked as the old Hunter shoved a load of books into his arms.

"We're going someplace safe! Now follow me idiot." Dean did what he told and followed, last in line. They went to the basement, only it wasn't just any basement. It was made from solid iron and was also covered in pentagrams and devil's traps.

"Bobby, is this?" Sam started but didn't finish.

"Made out of iron and completely coated in salt. It's 100% ghost proof." There was a small hint of pride in his voice that Buffy recognized. She couldn't help smiling even if it did hurt some.

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked, affection rippling through the words.

"I had a weekend off," Bobby said with a shrug of his shoulders, like it was something everyone did.

"Bobby. Dude, you are awesome," Dean said as he clapped him on the back in the congratulatory way only men seemed able to do. Buffy was silently laughing at the interaction between the men. The tension began to diffuse from the room as they all started to relax a little.

"Bo Derek. Classic, man." Dean smiled roguishly as he looked at the poster taped to the wall. Buffy rolled her eyes and set her load of books on small table. Bobby pointed to the corner.

"Shut up and make yourself useful. Shotgun shells aren't going to fill themselves."

"See, this is why I can't get behind God," Dean said as he and Sam filled shell casings with rock salt and iron pellets. Buffy looked up when he spoke, her concentration on the text before her broken.

"What are you talking about Dean?" Sam asked, confused at the sudden topic. He looked at his brother, waiting for the rant he knew was coming.

"This! Life. Everything. If there really is a God, what is wrong with him? Where the hell was He while all those decent people were ripped and torn to shreds? Why doesn't He help? He's supposed to be all powerful, all knowing. How does He just turn His back on that?"

"I don't know Dean," Sam said sincerely. "You want me to believe He's not real? That's a better option?"

"Yeah, it is. Bad crap happens to good people. That's just how it is. No rhyme or reason, just random, evil shit. I get that. But some big jerk off in the sky watching and controlling everything and letting it happen? That I don't get."

"Does it matter?" Buffy spoke up for the first time since the conversation had started. Two sets of Winchester eyes turned to her, burning with curiosity.

"What do you mean 'does it matter?' Of course it matters!" Dean said, a little bit on edge. He still hasn't completely recovered from seeing the small blonde almost choked to death less than an hour ago. Her face and neck were still bruised. Reminders that shot uneasily to the pit of his stomach.

"What exactly does it change? Does it change what you do? Are you going to stop saving people? Suddenly start going to church?"

"No."

"Then who cares who is or isn't pulling the strings?" Buffy said. The room was quiet for a moment as they took in her perspective.

"Found it." Bobby's voice rang out across the room.

"What?" Buffy asked, alerted at once to the excitement in Bobby's voice.

"The Rise of the Witnesses," he explained. The three of them abandoned all pretense of what they were doing and crowded around the old Hunter. "It's a spell, so powerful it left a mark, like this."

He pointed to a picture showing a cross with four points enclosed with a circle.

"Henrickson had that on him," Sam said. "It was on his hand."

"That symbol, the brand on the ghosts..."

"Yeah?" All three of them said in unison. Buffy could feel a knot in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't going to be good, she just knew it.

"It's the Mark of the Witness. These ghosts, they are the Witnesses."

"Witness? Witness to what?" Dean asked.

"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts- they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They're more like rabid dogs than the people they were. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... On purpose." The last part seemed to be directed at Buffy and she gave him a small reassuring smile. She knew Giles would never really mean those things.

"Who rose them? And how do we stop them? We don't have the time to salt and burn all their bones." Sam said and Dean nodded.

"Do I look like I know?" Bobby said irritably. "This mark though, it leaves a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. There's a spell here, though. It should put them all back to rest."

"Should? You're not sure?" Sam asked, words mirroring the others' thoughts.

"Hey, it's the best I can do. You got something better?" Bobby replied. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Luckily, I think I've got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this nifty, ghost-proof, panic room?" Buffy quipped, trying to keep things light.

"What? You thought our luck would start now," Bobby said, sarcasm dripping from each word. "We need to cast it over an open flame."

"The library?" Buffy said as she walked over to where Bobby was sitting and looked over his shoulder. She had the feeling that he wasn't telling them everything he knew. He looked up at her and met her eyes. She was positive now that he was keeping something back.

"Bingo." He said, turning away from her and back to his book. Buffy wasn't upset, she knew he felt the need to protect her and the Winchesters. But she needed to know.

"What else is there, Bobby?"

Bobby sighed but sat back and began talking. "The Rise of the Witnesses, it's a sign. It's a part of an ancient prophecy."

Buffy made a little sound in the back of her throat, she did not like hearing this. Her and prophecies usually did not end well. Where the hell did all these prophets come from anyway? For once couldn't she get a rumor or conjecture instead?

"What does the prophecy say?" Dean asked, not liking the look of pain that crossed Buffy's face when Bobby started talking about it.

"It's the big one, guys. The Apocalypse."

"Apocalypse, Apocalypse? From the Bible?" Sam asked, clearly not liking the thought.

"That's the one. The Rising of the Witnesses, it's a sign. A mile marker for the start of the Apocalypse."

"No!" Buffy shouted, aggravated. "I am sick to death of stopping Apocalypses. For once, can I go longer than two years without the world ending! Is that too much to ask?!"

"So what are we going to do about that?" Dean asked, a little alarmed at Buffy's reaction but ignoring her. He knew there couldn't be any easy answers but damned if he was just going to let that shit happen.

"Why don't we try to survive our little friends out there first," Bobby said, taking charge.

"Finish loading those shells boys. We're going to need them. Buffy, you know how to handle a shotgun? I know you don't like guns, but this here ain't your normal stake 'em and kill 'em demon, Hun."

"I'm good, Bobby," Buffy said, as she sat next to the brothers and began to load the empty cartridges. She didn't mind when he let slip little endearments. She knew that was all they were. "You just worry about the spell, we'll take care of the rest."

**Thank you so much to Woman of Words for being my Beta and for her patience with my comma ineptness lol. **

**I also want to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. They really mean a lot to me. I know this chapter took longer to get out and I'm sorry. Feb and March are crazy busy for me with work and I just didn't have time. Next one will be out sooner I promise.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I really want to thank Woman of Letters for all the work she has done helping me clean up this whole story. Thank You so much! You should all check out her story The Hardest Thing Is Living. It is an awesome story. And that you for all the reviews, they really make my day:)**

"Cover each other's asses, ok. And watch your ammo, you run out before I'm done and they'll rip you to shreds. Ready?" Bobby barked out the orders. They were in the basement preparing to exit the safe room, loaded down with every ghost-repelling weapon they had. Dean led the way, followed by Sam and Buffy, Bobby covering them from the rear. The house was quiet, but Buffy could feel an uneasy tingle in her belly.

"Hey, Dean. You remember me?" On top of the basement stairs, Buffy could see a young man blocking their way out. He appeared to be in his twenties, overweight and with a mop of dark, curly hair.

"Ronald, huh? With the laser eyes? Wish I could say it's good to see you," Dean addressed him casually but Buffy could see the tension and flash of regret that crossed his face. The ghost stood up and began to shout, his rage overflowing at the hunter's remarks.

"I am dead because of you. You were supposed to help me!"

Suddenly, the loud crack of a shotgun blast shattered the air, and the ghost disappeared.

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk," Bobby grumbled at them as he pushed his way through and mounted the stairs. Buffy looked between the two men at her sides and the three of them shared an amused look before they followed him.

Dean stole a glance at the Slayer as they made their way into the library. Gone was the bubbly, laughing girl he had seen when they had eaten steaks in Bobby's kitchen. Her face was deadly serious, her movement precise and stealthy. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he was a little turned on. Needing something to do besides stare, he knelt down and started working on getting the fire built up in the fireplace. Sam had picked up a bag of salt and was creating a protective circle around the fireplace and the table where Bobby was going to be working the spell. Bobby was busy preparing for the spell that would put the souls of the ghosts back to rest. Buffy was armed with a shotgun in her hands and the scythe was hanging from her side, blade protected by a leather sleeve.

"Upstairs linen closet- red hex box. It'll be heavy," Bobby said to Buffy, who nodded her head and took off toward the set of stairs that lead to the second story. Dean watched her go and when he turned his head, he saw Bobby watching him, a knowing look on his face. The next instant two young girls appeared, just outside the salt line.

"Bobby!" Dean shouted in warning, but Sam had already pulled his gun and fired two shots. Bobby gave them both a nod of thanks and pointed to the left, towards the kitchen.

"Somebody go to the kitchen. Knife drawer, there's a false bottom. Get me hemlock, opium and wormwood." Dean stood and started walking to the other room but turned around. "Opium? Something you want to tell us, Bobby?"

"Go, you dunderhead!"

XXXXX

Buffy found the linen closet easily enough. It was in the hallway, across from the guest bathroom. Standing between her and the closet, though, was the form of Rupert Giles. Hostility was etched deeply in his face, the paternal love from his bespectacled eyes gone. With a painful sense of guilt, she raised the shotgun and pulled the trigger. She watched as the apparition flickered out and disappeared, memories heavy on her heart.

In the corner, on the floor of the closet, lay the hex box. Buffy picked it up, not bothered by the weight at all. She turned around and found herself face to face with the ghost of a young woman she didn't know. Anger and hatred flashed in the ghost's eyes as she stared at her. Buffy stood still and waited. The shotgun lay at her feet, discarded for the moment, set down when she had taken the box.

"It's not fair. He tried to save you. But me? He just let me fall three stories out that window. Why are you so special, huh?" Buffy subtly shifted the weight of the box to her left hand and laid her right hand on the handle of the scythe. The ghost must have seen her intentions though, because she launched herself at the smaller, blonde woman. Buffy ducked and wrenched the scythe free from the leather casing. She swung the weapon but missed. The unknown woman was coming at her again and this time, Buffy's strike hit true. The blade went right through the ghost and she disappeared. Buffy picked up the shotgun, holding it in the crook of her arm, and started on her way back to Bobby. The ghost appeared before her again and slammed the Slayer into the wall, hard enough to dent the sheetrock.

"You don't know what kind of monster he is. He just watched as I suffered and he did nothing! I didn't deserve to die." She was crazed, Buffy could see that now. Madness was the only thing in her eyes as the two women wrestled on the floor.

Buffy managed to get the hex box out of the way as she went down with the crazed ghost. The box skidded along the wood floor, but seemed to be undamaged. The shotgun was still in her hands, and for once, she was grateful to have a firearm. She brought the butt-stock up and slammed it into the side of her opponent's head, buying herself time. Rolling out of the way, she cocked the gun and shot. The blast shattered the ghost into a wispy oblivion. Buffy grabbed the box and ran back downstairs. They needed to end this, now.

Dean yanked hard on the drawer, sending silver utensils clattering to the ground. Without even a second thought, Dean dumped the remaining contents on the floor, searching for its hidden compartment. He jumped when the kitchen door slammed shut on its own, and cursed under his breath.

"Dean?" Sam called out to his brother.

"I'm alright, Sammy. Just keep watch over Bobby," Dean ordered. He went back to the drawer but couldn't find the false bottom. With a frustrated huff, he pulled out the next drawer but stopped when he felt the sudden chill of the air around him. Henriksen was beside him when he turned, the former agent arrogant as ever.

"Victor."

"Dean."

"I know," Dean said, trying to placate the ghost.

With a sad shake of his, Henriksen stepped closer. "No. You don't know."

"It's my fault you're dead. I left you behind. And the minute I heard about that explosion, I thought, 'I should have known.' I should have protected you." While he had been talking, Dean had tried to position himself closer to the gun on the counter. He grabbed it but before he could fire, it went flying out of his hands and across the room.

"Not so fast, Dean. You think you ran and Lilith came and we all died in a beautiful, peaceful blast of white light? If only. Forty-five minutes."

"What?" Dean was shocked. While he hadn't given much thought to the guy, what with all the crap that was his life, he had never thought that any of them had really suffered. He didn't know if he should believe him now, either.

"Over forty-five minutes. Lilith said she wanted to have some... fun. Remember Nancy, the virgin? We had to watch as she had her skin filleted off her, piece by piece. She never stopped screaming. You think one little 'I'm sorry' is going to fix that?"

"No." Shame washed over him. He should have been able to protect them. Hell, they thought they were protecting them, leaving them. Lilith hadn't wanted them, only him and Sam.

"You think if I fillet the skin off that pretty, little Slayer and make you watch, you think that would make us even, Dean?" Henriksen said. "Tell me how this is fair? You get brought back from Hell- and I die. Why do you deserve so many fucking chances? Maybe, I should just rip your heart out, instead." Henriksen lunged for him and the two men collided together. Henriksen's right hand was just above his heart, the fingertips gouging into his flesh. Dean pushed him off and kicked, sending him back several feet. He took off, trying to get to the fallen gun but Sam burst through the kitchen door. He fired two rounds, each one landing in the former agent's chest. Dean let out a sigh of relief and thanked his brother.

"Get the stuff and let's go, I don't like leaving Bobby in there by himself," Sam said as Dean removed the correct drawer and retrieved the needed items. A noise to the other side of the house drew both of their attentions, making them draw their guns. Buffy emerged, big red case in hand. The three of them went back to the library. Bobby looked up at their entrance, his lips moving quickly as he read the words of the spell in Latin. They had just made it into the protective circle when the lights in house began to flicker wildly. The window on the far side of the room blew open and filled the room with a chilling, unnatural wind, breaking their salt line.

As if on cue, the room filled with ghosts. There were seven spirits, at least, that Buffy counted. The three of them were armed with the shotguns, extras on the table beside them. The fat man from the basement appeared right in front of Dean, looking at him hungrily.

"Come on, man. Don't look at me like that, Ronald," Dean said as he reloaded his shotgun. Buffy looked back at Bobby, who was working furiously, mixing and grinding ingredients. The odds were almost two-to-one. She knew the guys would be using the shotguns, but she felt like she would do best hand-to-hand. Grabbing one of the iron rods from the table, she waited to see who would attack first.

"I am going to eat you alive." The group of ghosts were starting to move closer. Buffy could see Giles and Kendra, their hate-filled eyes boring into her.

"I'm not a cheeseburger," Dean said, bringing up the gun and shooting. Buffy launched herself at her mentor and friend the moment he pulled the trigger. The iron rod ripped through and dispelled them. They reappeared moments later, but Buffy continued, never giving them time to stay solid for long.

Sam and Dean were almost out of ammunition, every shot counting as they defended Bobby from the brutal attacks. Dean tried to keep Buffy in his sights to make sure she didn't get overwhelmed. She had gone into full Slayer mode, taking on two to three ghosts at once with a grace and skill that awed him.

He must have been watching for too long though. Henriksen got too close and knocked the gun that he was reloading out of his hands. Seizing another from the table, he pointed and pulled the trigger. It was empty. Quickly discarding that one as well, he grabbed one of the iron rods and hit the agent as hard as he could. Dean looked up, just in time to see Sam slammed into the wall and pinned there with a heavy, wooden desk by Meg.

"Sam!" Dean rushed over to his brother and tried to move the firmly lodged furniture.

"Cover Bobby!" Sam yelled at his brother. Meg had just appeared behind the older hunter. Dean abandoned the fight to free his brother and ran to help the other man, knowing he wasn't in the same immediate danger that Bobby was. But the ghost was quicker and plunged her hand into Bobby's back, a throaty groan leaving him as he dropped the bowl that was in his hands.

"Bobby!" Buffy had run to Sam, extracting him from his pinned position against the wall, when she saw what was happening. Dean was fast, though, and caught the bowl Bobby had dropped before it could fall from the table onto the floor.

"Fireplace!" Bobby cried out and pointed. Dean threw the bowl into the flames, which rose up to consume the contents with a fiery boom.

As quickly as it happened, the ghosts vanished. Dean was the first one to reach Bobby, helping him to stand. All around them, silence. Buffy heaved a sigh of relief. The spell had worked; her stomach was no longer tied in knots. But somehow, she knew it was just the beginning.

XXXXX

The house was quiet and dark. Dean lay on the couch, trying to get some sleep. He should have been tired, it had been one hell of a day. But sitting there, in the dark of the night, on Bobby's old, lumpy couch, he only had one thing on his mind.

Buffy was leaving tomorrow, going back to her home in L.A. He wanted to be happy about that; she wouldn't be anywhere near him, tempting him to want things that could never be. The other part of him, though, wanted her more than he had ever wanted any other woman in his life. And that scared the ever-living shit out of him.

The lights in the old farmhouse kitchen came on suddenly, illuminating a figure darkening the doorway to the kitchen. Dean sat up, instantly alert, and saw that it was the angel, Castiel. He leaned forward and looked over to Sam, who appeared to be sleeping. Glad to catch a break for once, he rose out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, wooden planks of the floor creaking under his weight.

"Excellent job with the witnesses," Castiel said, his voice rough but emotionless. Dressed in the same tax accountant suit and trench coat, he was standing in front of Dean, hands hanging awkwardly at his sides as though he didn't know quite what to do with them. The dim lighting of the kitchen was casting eerie shadows around the contours of his face. Dean recalled the warehouse, the glimpse of shadowed wings burned into his mind.

"Yeah? Were you hip to all this, huh?" Dean asked, anger making the words clipped and harsh. He didn't need the approval of this douchebag, or anyone else.

"I was, uh, made aware of it, yes," The angel replied, choosing his words with thought. Dean wasn't sure, but there was an undercurrent of...disapproval maybe, in his tone.

"Well, thanks for the angelic assistance today. Bobby almost had his heart ripped out."

"But he didn't." The words were just a matter of fact, like the sky was blue, not meant to soothe him.

"What about those other hunters, huh? You think they feel the same way? You winged dillholes could have told us what was happening and we could have saved them before they were murdered. Or better yet, you could have prevented the whole damn thing. Where the hell is your boss? If there even is a God."

"There is a God." The words came out forcibly, with an absolute conviction that Dean did not understand.

"I'm not convinced. 'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is He waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does He lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord works..."

"If you say 'mysterious ways,' so help me, I _will_ kick your ass," Dean said, interrupting before he became even more pissed. "So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse."

"Where is the Slayer?" The sudden interest in Buffy made him instinctively defensive, his body rigid. The need to protect her rose to the surface.

"Buffy? What the hell do you want with her?"

"I need to speak with her, with both of you."

"Do I want to know why?" Buffy said as she entered the room quietly. She was dressed in a small pair of black stretch shorts and tank top. Dean couldn't help but let his eyes wander over her body. _Damn, no bra._ Was she trying to kill him?

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals." Dean turned back to Castiel when he heard him speak. The angel, though, was watching Buffy, annoyance in his eyes.

"Please tell me that is the next boy band about to sweep the world with their non-threatening good looks and two-part harmonies, " Buffy said.

"No," the angel said seriously. "Lilith is the one breaking the seals."

"You're saying Lilith the-hell-bitch is the one who did that spell? She rose the witnesses," said Dean. Buffy sat on the counter, bare feet dangling, and looked at him, quietly assessing. He was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and boxers, hair mussed from the hours spent on the lumpy couch. He was still drop-dead gorgeous .

"Yes. And not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead." The words were spoken without a hint a remorse and Buffy felt a white-hot surge of anger at the Heavenly intruder. Those people didn't deserve to die. Who knew angels were such... dicks.

"We stopped them, though, put the souls back to rest," Dean said. He had seen the flash of anger and disgust that crossed her face and couldn't help but agree.

"It doesn't matter. The seal was still broken."

"Why break the seals? What's the payoff there?" Buffy asked, rummaging through the cabinet next to her to find something to snack on. She hit the jackpot with a box of girl scout cookies. _Mmm, thin mints_.

"Think of the seals as locks on a door."

"Ok. What happens when the last one opens?" The words were spoken around a mouth full of cookie. Buffy swallowed and offered some to Dean, who passed. She waved the sleeve of treats enticingly under the angel's nose, but he paid her no heed.

"Lucifer walks free. That cannot be allowed to happen."

"The Devil? We have to stop psycho bitch from releasing the Devil?! Are you freaking shitting me?" Dean exclaimed. This was too much. Why the hell was all this up to him?

"I do not understand what you mean by 'shitting' you," the angel said, clearly confused. Dean let out an exasperated sigh.

"Why aren't you angels types on top of this? Isn't this something you could possible get off your little, fluffy clouds for?"

"We tried. And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here."

"Yeah? Why don't you tell us what that is?"

"You are the only ones who can stop Lilith from setting Lucifer free upon the earth."


End file.
